Persona 4 Arena: Extend
by KazuyaYamura
Summary: [Discontinued] The Shadow Operatives and The Investigation Team must work together to face this new threat. The Truth will be revealed... but will they accept it? Will they reach out to it? (Story takes place between Persona 4 Arena's Ending and Persona 4 Golden's Epilogue.) (Re-Write of Persona: The Final Battle)
1. Prologue: The Beginning of The End

Author's Notes: The Prologue to Persona 4 Arena: Extend. Hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona, Atlus does. I only own my OCs.

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Prologue:

The Beginning of the End

**Sea of the Human Soul**

_**General POV**_

"That was a rather interesting experience. Although, it seems that they did not notice the slight anomaly that was occurring in the TV. I wonder... what could have caused such a huge mishap in time...?"

A lone figure stood on what humans call 'the moon'. She had short white hair, yellow eyes and wore a blue dress that resembled a stewardess' outfit with five black-lined circles outside small yellow circles, blue gloves, a blue attendant-like hat, black leggings and blue, knee-length boots. She stood upright and looked down at Earth, the place were she had just been only a few seconds ago.

"The world is full of mysteries. And this may be my first step to solving them," she said, holding out a tarot card in her hand. It was the fool, the number zero, yet, it was filled with limitless possibilities. Breathing deeply, she turned around, stretching her hand outward. A circle filled with intricate patterns appeared before her. Without a moment's hesitation, she stepped through it; after all, she had a duty to perform... and a close friend who needed her.

* * *

**Sea of the Human Soul**

_**General POV**_

"Things have slowly started to fall into place; piece by piece. I could not have possibly imagined that this situation would come yet again. Then again, I have been waiting for a rather long time. A couple of hundred years, in fact, for this very moment. When everything would be perfect... and when this insanity would stop. Of course, I must take things into my own hands this time," said a young man, who appeared 17. He had short white hair, spiked slightly to the right. His right eye was blue while his left was obscured by his long fringe. He had a light build and was wearing a thin black blazer with red hues. He wore grey jeans and dark sneakers with blue rims; he also had a slightly pale complexion. He was floating aimlessly in a vast space filled with stars. However, anyone who was there would have been more focused on the grand golden statues before them. He looked at them; two statues occupying the same space. One of them depicted a blue-haired boy; the other, an auburn-haired girl. Of course, this could not be seen through the naked eye, as both statues would appear golden, but, his eyes were not normal. The statues were one and the same, yet they were different. He raised his arm and pointed it toward the statues and channelled his spiritual power. Light flowed from his hands and lit the entire void around him. It would have blinded the normal human eye, but he was far from human. The light slowly dissipated and the two statues disappeared, only to be replaced by a mass amount of spiritual power. What stood in their place was a young female. She was about his height and had similar hair although her hair was a light blonde, her eyes were a shade of brown and she had slightly tanned skin. She looked up and stared into his soul.

"You... are not human..." she said.

"Neither are you..." he replied.

"Why have you removed the seal?"

"The twins are needed. The time has come."

"I have no idea what you are-"

"You will in due time. I simply need your cooperation, mother of the night."

"Why do you need me?"

"The twins cannot do anything as long as they are nothing but a large mass of spiritual power."

"I see your point, but why should I help you?"

"You do not know who I am?"

"Nope, and I find it uneasy that you know me."

"You are the mother of the night; a figure of exceptional power and beauty. There is no one who does not know you. As for myself... I am simply... the one who brings about the 'true' end..."

"The 'true' end... impossible... you cannot be-"

"Yes, I am. I have waited thousands of years for this time. 'His' reign will soon end; and I will take 'his' place."

"But, why the twins?"

"They have extraordinary abilities. 'He' will prevent me from taking over at all costs. Time is no longer linear and 'he' is the cause. You very well know that."

"Yes... but why do you need me? I don't think that you will let me off the hook that easily."

"But of course I need you. You almost succeeded in creating the eternal night-"

"That was not me! I would never have harmed the humans of my own free will! It was that foul being, the crawling chaos, who posed as me!"

"I thought so... you are not a malicious being after all. I simply needed to confirm it. The crawling chaos has assisted 'him' in his rise to power, and I needed to know if I could trust you."

"So, what do I need to do?"

"I need you to revive the twins. They are crucial."

The mother of the night concentrated her spiritual power and reformed the twins, providing them with bodies and recreating their conscious. When she was done, she turned to face the mysterious young man, and she saw him snap his fingers. The twins disappeared from view, although she could sense that he sent them to Earth. She turned to face her mysterious savior. He stretched his hand out towards her and albeit with a slight hesitation, she took it.

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Author's Notes: Okay, Prologue done! Hope that you guys like it! Please review!


	2. Operating in The Shadows

Author's Notes: This is the first Chapter. For those of you who read my original story, I hope that this Chapter 1 will be far less confusing. Please read and review! (Sorry that I was kinda late with this one... I planned to release it yesterday... but I had camp... which sucks)

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona, Atlus does. I only own my OCs.

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May 4th 2012

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Chapter 1

Operating in the Shadows

**Afternoon**

**SEES Headquarters**

_**General POV**_

"It is no doubt that Narukami-san and his friends will continue to be involved in this case, Mitsuru-san" said the blonde-haired android.

"Yes, however, we have no right to stop them. Although this organisation was created for the purpose of saving lives, what they do is ultimately up to them. We can try to stop them all we want, but they will definitely continue their investigation. In a way, they are quite similar to us," replied her red-haired friend.

"That sounds very unlike you, Mitsuru. I thought that you would be against these kind of things. You're not exactly the type of person who would allow people to do as they please so easily, especially if it endangers their own lives," said the silver-haired boxer.

"Akihiko, I will take that as a compliment... for now," replied Mitsuru.

"Mitsuru-san and Akihiko-san really get along well, huh?" whispered the silver-haired mechanical maiden to her younger sister.

Her sister chuckled slightly and replied, "I realise that as well. They have been friends for a long time, after all. But do not be mistaken, they are only friends, nothing more."

"Hehe, it's pretty rare to see two people like that remaining as friends. I guess that they're different from most people. But, it's nice, seeing how much they trust each other," replied the elder sister.

Mitsuru cleared her throat and began to address everyone, "Moving on... We were all separated while we were in the TV. As such, I would like each of you to give a recount of the events that happened while you were in there..."

* * *

**Junes Food Court: 'Investigation Team Secret Headquarters'**

_**General POV**_

"Sensei, what are we gonna do!? Yosuke spilled my drink, and I worked hard for it too!" cried Teddie, arms flailing. The headphone-wearing boy slapped the blonde on his head in a comical fashion, causing the latter's face to hit the metal table with a resounding thud. This, of course, caught the attention of everyone around them, and their friends were the most annoyed.

"Shut up, Ted!" yelled Yosuke.

"Yosuke-senpai, Teddie, could we please focus on the task at hand," said the detective, speaking on behalf of the entire Investigation Team.

_**Yu POV**_

_Sometimes I wonder if the Shadow Operatives were anything like this back in high school..._ I snapped out of my thoughts when Naoto called out to me, "Senpai, let's continue with the meeting." I nodded and stood up, looking at my friends, the friends who helped me solve the murder case last year, friends who mean more to me than life itself.

"Okay, our plan is simple. We are heading to Tatsumi Port Island, which is where we assume the Shadow Operative Headquarters is located. The Shadow Operatives were originally a group of high school students and their school, Gekkoukan High, was located in Tatsumi Port Island," I explained.

"I know that I may be interrupting, but, how did you find out about this?" asked Yukiko-san.

Naoto stood up and answered her, "Well, being a member of the police force tasked to spy on the Kirijo Group, I did my research and found out about them. However, this is only an assumption based on the facts that I have."

"Wait... Gekkoukan High... wasn't that the school that we went to during the cultural exchange last year!?" asked Kanji.

I sighed and rolled my eyes at Kanji's complete ignorance of the situation. Yosuke and everyone else did the same.

"Kanji-kun... we all knew that already..." said an annoyed Rise.

Not wanting to waste any more time, I looked at Yosuke and he stood up, on cue, and continued, "I already got us tickets to Tatsumi Port Island. From there, we will split into groups. Naoto and Rise-chan will find out as much as possible regarding shadow-related incidents that occurred there. Chie and Yukiko-san will attempt to find the Shadow Operative Headquarters. Kanji and Ted will scout the area for any places that might be useful to us, like, a meeting area."

"What about you and Yu-kun?" asked Chie.

"Yosuke and I will be booking our accommodations for our stay, and planning our activities in Tatsumi Port Island." I replied promptly.

"But Senpai, how are we going to solve the case before Golden Week ends? We may have one extra day because of the weekend, but..." asked Rise.

Yosuke and I glanced at each other and smiled.

* * *

**?**

_**? POV**_

My eyes started to blink lazily. When my vision started to focus, I found myself lying on top of a bed, covered by a soft blanket and felt something warm on top of me. My situation almost made me doze off again, but something told me that I should stay awake. I tried to get up but I felt some kind of weight on top of me. Curious, I threw the blanket to the floor and was dumbfounded by what I saw.

An auburn-haired girl was lying on top of me, snuggling on my chest. She was slightly shorter than me and wore clothes that were rather similar to mine; a plain long sleeved T-shirt and long pants. She looked... rather cute... and somewhat familiar... _but who is she!? And why is she lying on top of me!? _As I asked myself a multitude of questions in my head, I noticed that she started to blink her eyes. _What am I supposed to tell her!? I mean, how many times do you find yourself lying down with a guy that you've never seen before! _I began to panic as she stretched her arms... and looked me in the eye.

_All hell broke loose._

"W-What the hell are you doing!?" she yelled, before slapping my in the stood up, face bright red, and took a nearby pillow before repeatedly beating me up with it.

"H-Hey, s-stop!" I managed to utter while enduring the blows. She showed no signs of stopping but when she finally did, but backed away into a corner and put her hand on a chair near the door.

"If you dare to take a step closer to me, the last thing you will see is this chair, on your head!" she yelled.

I took a deep breath and managed to calm down, letting my brain process everything that had just happened. After realising that there was no point in trying to comprehend those events, I introduced myself, hoping that it wouldn't kill me, "I am just as confused as you, okay? Why don't we start over? I'm Minato Arisato. Nice to meet you."

She looked at me and her hand slowly moved away from the chair. She looked rather skeptical. _Don't tell me I screwed up..._ Eventually, she replied, "Minato... Minato Arisato... Are you really Minato Arisato!? That's impossible! If you really are him, then tell me, what happened in 1999, in September?" she questioned.

I was shocked by her question... _September... 1999... that was when..._, "My parents and twin sister died."

_I didn't know what made me tell her about my past, but it just seemed right at the time._

I had already started to calm down, but from the look of things, she was feeling just as shocked as I was at first. Looking at me from head to toe, she then stepped forward and brushed my fringe aside, exposing my right eye. "... No... y-you can't be... b-but... Onii-chan... it's... you..." she said.

Upon hearing her words, I came to a realisation. Her eyes, her voice, the way she parted my hair, it was... Minako, my twin sister...

She put her arms around me in a tight embrace and I did the same. Tears flowed from her cheeks as we remained there, for a long time.

* * *

**SEES Headquarters**

_**Aigis POV**_

"Mitsuru-san, I apologise for interrupting, but why are we discussing this in the dorm?" I asked.

Mitsuru-san glanced at me and smiled, "For a simple reason, Aigis. I would rather discuss this with the members of SEES rather than the entire Shadow Operatives, don't you agree? I will disclose this information in due time, but for now, it will be kept private from the non-SEES members of the Shadow Operatives."

I nodded silently.

_Mitsuru-san reopened the dorm for SEES-members-only meetings. Its location has been kept a well-kept secret from anyone but its previous inhabitants. Well, previous inhabitants minus one. 'He' is no longer here, after all._ I held back my tears.

Fuuka-san was the first to notice my uneasiness, "Are you still thinking about him, Aigis?"

The room was filled with silence.

"Who's 'him'," asked my sister.

"Labrys-chan, umm… How do I put this? 'He' was our leader. Our dear friend," replied Fuuka-san. My sister started to fidget. I could sense that she felt guilty about bringing up such a sensitive topic.

"It is alright, Sister. You simply did not know him. I am not surprised by your inquiry, however, if you wish to know about him, I will tell you." I composed myself and told her our story from the very beginning. I told her about how I sealed Death inside him, how we met in Yakushima, how we fought in Tartarus, how he… spent time with me…, how he died.

"…and that is what happened during our time with him," I finished. Everyone in the room had a solemn expression on their faces. He was very dear to us. Without him, we would not even be here; the world would not be here. I looked up and made eye contact with Mitsuru-san. With a slight nod, I told her to continue with the meeting.

* * *

**Preview of the Next Chapter:**

"_Hello all readers of this fanfic, old and new! I would like to say a warm welcome to all of you!"_

"_Well, since we (The Preview OCs) only appeared in later Chapters in the Original Fanfic, Persona: The Final Battle, this will be our first time doing a preview for the 2nd chapter!"_

"_That Minato and Minako scene almost made me cry..."_

"_Yep, it was pretty touching alright! Although, I find the Investigation Team's plan more suspicious..."_

"_Well, without further ado, here's what'll happen in the next chapter!"_

"_In the next chapter, we will definitely discover what Yu-kun and Yosuke-kun were up to!"_

"_We will also find out what happens to our favourite wild card twins!"_

"_Also, a couple of OCs will make an appearance too! Although, we will definitely make an appearance at the end of every chapter!"_

"_You wouldn't want to miss it, cause it's coming out soon!"_

"_Sigh, our previews were better before..."_

"_Yep, I guess we're just not good with this yet..."_

"_Well, I guess this is the end for now!"_

"_To be continued..."_

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Author's Notes: Well, there's chapter 1! For my previous readers, there isn't many changes in here as there will be in future chapters, so please 'bear' with me! Anyway, just for your knowledge, if you want to ship Mitsuru and Akihiko, go ahead. I'm making it rather ambiguous, somewhat similar to the game.

*Warning, Personal Opinion*

Personally, I think that they're just good friends. I mean, does every relationship between a guy and a girl have to be a romantic one? Not in my book. I mean, seriously! Anyway, on to Chapter 2!


	3. The Fated Meeting

Author's Note: This is Chapter 2. Hope you guys enjoy it! (It has far more changes than Chapter 1) (Rambling has been moved to the bottom,)

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona, Atlus does. I only own my (awesome) OCs

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Chapter 2

The Fated Meeting

**Afternoon**

**Junes Food Court: 'Investigation Team Secret Headquarters'**

_**Yu POV**_

"Are you guys serious?! This isn't some prank?! How the hell did you managed to pull this one off?!" bombarded Chie. Everyone was staring at me and Yosuke, expecting answers. Our 'little' plan had caused more mayhem then we thought. We were practically cornered by the rest of the Investigation Team and since they left us with no choice, we started to explain the events.

"Okay, fine. We'll tell you how we did it…" replied Yosuke, nudging me to continue.

"This morning, we stopped by Yasogami High and bumped into Miss Kashiwagi. It seems that last year's 'Cultural Exchange' was a big success, so, Miss Kashiwagi actually allowed us to transfer to Gekkoukan High for a month… It was her idea in the first place..." I continued.

"Why did you two wait until now to tell us?!" screamed Chie

"Just leave us alone, Chie" replied an exhausted Yosuke._Yes, that was our 'Grand' plan. Ugh, my school was way harder to convince…_

"Let me get this straight; you actually convinced Kashiwagi to let us transfer? But, isn't Gekkoukan a prestigious school or something!? How did we get in!?" asked Rise, curiosity written all over her face.

I nodded at my partner and he continued, "Well... apparently the new student council president of Gekkoukan... thinks that we have some potential to 'break the barriers' between the students of the big city and that of a small rural town and share our 'differing experiences' of high school..."

"Seriously... 'Break the barrier'?" asked Chie.

"I know it sounds stupid but-,"

"But don't we need to inform our parents?" asked Yukiko.

"About that... Ms. Kashiwagi is going to call all our parents right now. I'll tell Dojima-san that I'll be going out with my friends. I mean, after all, once Golden Week finishes, I'm going to Gekkoukan too. So for now, all of you just pack up, say your goodbyes and be back here in about 30 minutes. Bring everything you need for a one month stay; but don't bring too much. We can buy anything we need over at Iwatodai," I said.

_That wasn't the whole truth though... Ms. Kashiwagi already had the event planned months beforehand. She was just looking for participants..._

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. The meeting ended and all of us returned home. As I left Junes, I hummed the tune of the music that was playing through the speakers throughout the mall. _That song is quite addictive, isn't it? _Walking back to the Dojima residence, I relished the sights and sounds of this wonderful rural town; from the fresh, clean air, to the flowing of the Samegawa River. After some time, I made it back to the Dojima Residence, where I was greeted by Nanako.

"Big Bro! You're home!" she said as I stepped into the house.

"Is Dojima-san here?"

"Yep, he's upstairs."

"Nanako, I'll be going somewhere in half-an-hour, you wanna do something 'till then?"

"Okay! I've recently started learning the piano, wanna hear me play?"

"Alright, then."

_Nanako... you've rea_lly grow_n..._

* * *

[And so, time passed...]

* * *

I heard Nanako play a couple of pieces before I went up to my room, which was kept in perfect condition, and started packing. _Well, it's not like I have much to pack... I'll be coming back here to pick up all this stuff once Golden Week is up. _I hurried back down and saw Dojima-san reading a newspaper while Nanako was watching TV.

"Yu, are you going somewhere?" asked Dojima-san.

"I'm just gonna go to Iwatodai with my friends. They're transferring there for a month and they're leaving today. They want me to show them around Iwatodai, since I went to the junior high school there."

"Oh, alright. Are they staying overnight?"

"Yeah, they're being transferred to a dorm in the area."

"Alright then, just be sure to keep yourself safe."

"I will, Dojima-san. See you at the end of Golden Week!"

I ran back to the food court as fast as I could and by the time I reached there, only Rise and Naoto were waiting for me.

"What took you so long Senpai? You're twenty minutes late!" questioned Rise.

"I was just hearing Nanako play some piano pieces before I started packing," I replied, trying to look as innocent as possible.

"Senpai, we should hurry, the train is arriving in five minutes. Everyone already went there," said Naoto.

The three of us hurried to Yasoinaba Station, hoping to catch the train to Iwatodai. By the time we reached there, the train had already arrived at the platform and we rushed in, catching the attention of almost all the commuters on the train.

* * *

**Train to Iwatodai**

_**Yu POV**_

We managed to find the rest of the Investigation Team and sat down beside them.

"What took you guys so long!?" yelled Yosuke.

"Long story," I replied.

The entire team sighed at my comment, especially Rise and Naoto, and we started to chat about things as we enjoyed the ride.

"Sensei, Teddie was just thinking that... you didn't really tell us much about what happened before you came to Inaba." said Teddie.

Everyone looked at me upon hearing Teddie's statement.

"Yeah, you didn't really tell us much, did you?" asked Chie.

"True, you never said a word," said Yosuke.

I was rather surprised by the question, although, I had to admit that I never really mentioned anything about my past. Curious eyes fixated on me, I began to tell them about my life, "Well, I originally lived in Iwatodai, where I attended Gekkoukan Junior High. Then, I moved to Sumaru City because of my parents' work and attended Karukozaka High. The school wasn't originally in Sumaru but eventually moved to the Narumi Ward a couple of years back-"

"You lived in Iwatodai!?" shouted everyone in the team.

"Yeah, why?"

"You never mentioned anything at all, even when we were there!" said Naoto.

"No wonder you knew the place pretty well..." said Kanji.

"Senpai, you could have told us!" said Rise.

"But wait, you said 'Sumaru City'... isn't that the City of Rumors!?" asked Chie, changing the topic of the conversation.

"Huh? City of Rumors... what are you talking about, Chie?" asked Yosuke.

"Well, a couple of years ago, some people say that Sumaru City had the power to bring rumors to life!" explained Chie.

"I've heard of it before... never really believed it though," I said.

"City of Rumors? I think I've heard of that too. I was looking through some files on the Shadow Operatives and it seems that some of the newer members came originally went to a high school in Sumaru City. In the reports, 'City of Rumors' was a popular name for the area at the time. I thought that there could be possible shadow-related activity there," added Naoto.

"Oh wow! Really!?" exclaimed Rise.

"Yes, although it seems that no further suspicious activities were reported after some time." finished Naoto.

"Wow! Sensei had a very interesting past!" said Teddie.

"Well, I never actually experienced any 'rumors coming to life'," I said.

As we continued to talk about various things, I decided to take a short nap to recuperate.

* * *

**Velvet Room**

_**Yu POV**_

_Ugh, my head hurts... But this seems familiar, this dreamy feeling... _I slowly opened my eyes and was almost blinded by the myriad shades of blue. I could hear the sound of a piano playing in the background. I sat up straight and gave my eyes some time to adjust to the light. Slowly, I began to see and found myself in the ever-familiar Velvet Room.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," said a feminine voice.

I snapped out of my thoughts and searched for the source of the voice. I then saw Margret sitting at her usual position in the limousine. Igor was not here.

"My master is away... he has more pressing issues. I have summoned you here once again. You are about to enter a new ordeal, one that is far greater than your previous ones and one that is far more dangerous. You will face a greater entity that can and will stop you at any given opportunity. You must not be swayed by lies. Reach out to the truth, Yu Narukami. I know you can do it," she said.

A smile appeared on Margret's lips and I smiled in return. I knew what she meant, and I would not forget it. My vision slowly began to fade and I knew that I was returning back to the real world.

"Farewell."

* * *

**?**

_**Minato POV**_

"Umm, Minako, I think that's enough," I finally said before Minako loosened her grip on me.

"Onii-chan, I still can't believe that it's you..." she said.

We both sat down on the bed. We couldn't simply go out and try to find all our friends. As far as they know, we're dead. _Then again, didn't Minako die during-_

"Onii-chan... you said that I died during the car crash... but from what I know and what I saw... you're the one that died..." muttered Minako. _I'm the one that died!? That can't be!_

"But, Minako, ever since that car crash, I never saw you again..." I replied.

Silence filled the room, both of us deep in thought. We used to do this kind of thing whenever we needed to focus and just think about something. For some reason, we would always think of the same things during this time. You could call it a 'twin' thing.

After a while, we both looked at each other and said, "I don't have anything, do you?"

I wasn't surprised; like I said, we would think of the exact same thing. _Although, it might have been more useful if one of us thought of something..._

"Maybe we should just go to the Velvet Room," we said at the same time, again. _Well, Igor ought to know something about this. Hopefully._

"Onii-chan, do you mind turning around, 'cause, I need to change," said Minako. _Well, I don't mind but... __I had a devious idea..._

"It's fine Minako, I'm your brother after all," I replied playfully. Minako looked up and stared at me, her cheeks bright red. _This is definitely more than I hoped..._

"When were you such a playboy!?" yelled Minako as she slapped me and forced me out of the room. I landed on the floor of the hotel's corridor and watched as she closed and locked the door. _Well, it could have been worse... __Dammit, it's freezing out here!_

_**Minako POV**_

_What was Onii-chan thinking!? Was he always this playful!? Ugh, need to concentrate on changing..._

After changing, I originally had wanted to make Onii-chan continue suffering outside, but eventually opened the door and let him in. He came in with a rather calm demeanor, although, I could tell that he was shivering slightly. I took his jacket and covered him with it, hugging him for extra warmth. _I can't stay mad at him for long, can I? Well, he is my brother after all... _

"Thanks, Minako," he finally managed to say, with a slight smile on his lips. It always warmed my heart to see Onii-chan smile, even a little.

"Your welcome, Minato," I said. Minato didn't really mind when I use his name; after all, he was only born a couple of seconds before me. I just prefer calling him 'Onii-chan' sometimes, especially when we were alone.

"Minako, that was harsh. I mean, you were the one who used the 'It's fine, I'm your sibling' line first," said Onii-chan. _My face turned red again. He was right. I used that line on him before when we were kids..._

"But, we were six at that time!" I retorted.

"Thirteen years doesn't make much of a difference, does it?"

"You wanna freeze to death again?"

"I'll get changed..."

After Minato got changed, without me in the room, we quickly made our way out of the hotel. It was then that I recognised this place... Shirakawa Boulevard!

"Minato, you do realise that we're in Shirakawa Boulevard, right?" I asked.

Minato had already gone back to his old self; his hands were in his pockets and he was listening to his music with his usual expressionless face.

"Yeah, I know. It's really disturbing," he replied, glancing around.

"Are you looking for something?"

"Nope. I'm just making sure that there isn't anyone whom we recognise lurking about. First, our cover would be blown. Second, we're in Shirakawa Boulevard."

"Minato, so, what happened after... the incident?"

As we walked, I waited for his answer. He seemed to be collecting his thoughts. _I need to know if Onii-chan met SEES and fought the shadows..._

"Well, it might be kinda hard to comprehend, but..." he started.

I listened to his story and realised that he went through the exact same thing that I did. He met SEES. Fought alongside them. He was their leader, their friend. He sacrificed himself to save the world.

"... that's it. I know it sounds farfetched but I'm dead serious," he finished.

"I believe you, Onii-chan, I went through the same thing."

As our conversation finished, we arrived at Paulownia Mall. We entered the mall and found large crowds walking about. The majority of people there were students, about our age. Strangely, we didn't recognise anyone. _That's a relief... _We went to the back alley of the mall, hoping that the Velvet Room was still there.

* * *

**Back Alley of Port Island Station**

_**General POV**_

"This world... is tainted with his stench... I cannot believe that he has managed to corrupt the human world so greatly. Have his powers grown that much?" questioned a lone figure at the back alley of Port Island Station. The alley was empty, not a soul in sight. The light was slightly obscured by the surrounding buildings, creating visible shadows throughout the area. The figure was hidden in the shadows, completely invisible to anyone who walked past, if there were any.

"This is very disturbing... I cannot allow these events to continue at this rate. The end must occur. And it must occur very soon. If not... I do not even want to think of the repercussions."

The figure slowly stepped into the light... and disappeared without a trace.

* * *

**Train to Iwatodai**

_**Yu POV**_

"Iwatodai."

"Senpai, Rise, wake up! We're here!"

My eyes opened and I quickly analyzed the situation. The train had just stopped at Iwatodai Station... and Rise was leaning on me, fast asleep. Kanji and Naoto were frantically trying to wake us up before the train left. I quickly got up and since the train was leaving soon, carried a half-asleep Rise out of the train.

As we exited the train in a rush, we were greeted by awkward glances from the rest of the team...

"Umm... Partner, a-are you carrying... Rise-chan...?" said Yosuke, almost unable to believe what he was seeing.

Rise's eyes fluttered open and closed again. _Okay... I didn't exactly think this through... _

"Senpai... you're so warm..." she muttered. _That was definitely... unexpected..._

"R-Rise-chan, p-please get off Senpai!" yelled Naoto. _Was Naoto losing her cool...?_

I let Rise down gently but she still clung onto me. I shook her awake, ignoring the stares of passers-by. She eventually woke up.

"H-Huh, what!? W-We're off the train already!? But how-," said Rise before she turned to me. Her face started to turn red and she looked slyly at me, "Senpai... you carried me out? No wonder I could smell your scent as I slept-"

"R-Rise-chan! Please, we're in public!" shouted Naoto.

"Oh, don't tell me Naoto-kun's jealous..." teased Rise.

"W-What are you talking about!? Anyway, we should be going to the dorm," said Naoto, trying to regain her composure.

After the little argument, we proceeded to the dorm, which was a co-ed dorm not too far from the station. We walked on foot, following a flier that we were given. We finally found the dorm, which was located near the Iwatodai Strip Mall. It was a rather large dorm, and from what I could see, it had five stories and an open rooftop.

Yosuke was the first to approach the door; knocking on it, he shouuted, "Hello! Anyone home?"

* * *

**SEES Headquarters**

_**Aigis POV**_

"So, now, who would like to present their perspective of the events first?"

"M-Mitsuru-san… may I excuse myself?" I asked. Mitsuru-san paused and nodded her head. From her expression, I could tell that she knew that I was still feeling uneasy about my sister's question. I stood up and proceeded to the stairs while the others continued the meeting.

I went up to the 2nd story and stood in front of 'his' room. I hesitated. After mustering my courage, I stuck my hand out and opened the door. _His room still looks the same. I remember when I used to come in here to watch him sleep… and that night, he told me that he could not stand seeing me on the cold floor… he told me to sleep next to him. I was shocked, but, I complied. For some reason, I embraced him… and he returned the __favor__… He was so warm… so human. I was so cold… a machine… Yet, he embraced me. He didn't care that I was made of metal. He didn't care that I wasn't human. He didn't care that I killed his family and made him suffer an unimaginable fate. He only cared about… me. By that time, we were already hanging out after school. I simply enjoyed any time spent with him. He showed me what I did not see as a machine… he showed me how to become… human. I questioned him on occasion, regarding his choice of spending time with me. He simply replied, "You're precious to me, Aigis." And I would blush. He would chuckle and put his arms around me, causing my face to become redder. But…, I enjoyed it. And for the first time, I saw him smile. Then, I realised… I wanted to be with him because… I loved him._

"Hello! Anyone home?"

_That voice… It couldn't be… Hanamura-san?!_

* * *

**Outside SEES Headquarters, 1530h**

_**Yosuke POV**_

"Hello! Anyone home?" I asked.

"Just open the door, Yosuke-senpai. They should be expecting us," said Naoto-kun.

"I agree with Naoto, Yosuke," continued my partner.

"Fine, I'll do it," I said.

But before I could open the door that everyone made such a big fuss about, the door opened. And let's just say that Chie and Yukiko didn't need to search for their headquarters anymore…

_**Labrys POV**_

Of all the people I could've met, they were the ones that I least expected.

"Yosuke-kun, Yu-kun, everyone!" I said, smiling.

They stood there, shocked. Mitsuru-san, Fuuka-san and Akihiko-san had the exact same expression on their faces. Aigis, who was at the stairs, looked at our Inaba friends with surprise and delight. Teddie was the first to break the silence.

"Labby-chan! Mit-chan! Ai-chan! And… Half-naked red cape guy!" he shouted

"I told you, my name is Akihiko Sanada!" replied Akihiko.

Everyone broke into laughter. Especially Yukiko-san.

_**Yosuke POV**_

_Smooth Ted… Real smooth. I can't believe how that bear somehow manages to get away with those nicknames. But, Ted aside, the Shadow Operatives?! I glanced at my partner and he seemed to be thinking the same thing. Of all the times! Why did our plan have to fail now?!_

* * *

**Preview of the next chapter:**

"_Well, THAT was certainly unexpected..."_

"_Yeah, anyway, what's coming up next?"_

"_Well, I guess it's time for Minato and Minako to make their grand appearance!"_

"_Anything else?"_

"_Hmm, well, another familiar face is gonna make an appearance!"_

"_That was vague..."_

"_Didn't want to give too many details..."_

"_Well, that's it for today!"_

"_Goodbye!"_

* * *

Author's Note: Sumimasen! Sorry the update took so long! I was really busy and wanted to add more stuff in this Chapter. Anyway, for those previous readers, the general direction of the storyline **will** change. Yep, I'm planning to alter the story a little to make it more realistic, (My original idea was to make a story that could actually be 'canon' yet original.) so be prepared for greater changes! For those of you who don't get some Persona 2 references, please look at the glossary below the review section. (This Was The Longest Chapter EVER!)

* * *

**Reviews!:**

the azure night: Hmm, Yu x Naoto... I'm not exactly a die-hard fan of this... so it won't be 100% true in this fanfic... but I might and most likely will dedicate a scene to them! Thanks for reviewing!

* * *

**Glossary:**

Sumaru City: The setting of Persona 2. This city has the power to bring rumors to life.

Karukozaka High: A high school which made it's first appearance in Shin Megami Tensei: if... Tamaki Uchida from Persona 1 and 2 came from this high school. I chose it because it was pretty old and there might be some modifications to the school uniform/location over time, so that it would not conflict too much with any canon material.

'Newer members of Shadow Operatives': Well, based on the evidence provided, many people assume that some of the members of the Shadow Operatives are actually from Persona 1 and 2. This is probably correct, so I included it... yeah...

Narumi Ward: A ward in Sumaru City introduced in Persona 2: Eternal Punishment. I chose it randomly...


	4. Proof of Existance

Author's Note: Chapter 3's finally online! Sorry it took so long... I had writer's block, so I decided to write another story. (It's a Minato x Aigis fanfic titled 'Aeon Social Link: Redux'. If you like Minato x Aigis, you can read it.) So, I've overcome my block and now, here's Chapter 3! Well, there's not that many changes... yeah... I'm getting kinda tired doing this... I've been out all day, so I can only do this late at night... so I apologise very sincerely...

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona, Atlus does. I only own my OCs.

* * *

Chapter 3

Proof of Existence

**Velvet Room**

_**General POV**_

"Welcome to the Velvet Room." The ever familiar sight of the long-nosed master and the room coated entirely in velvet filled the eyes of the guests. A soothing piece played in the background, which was one of the many enigmas of this room. "It seems as though both of you have returned to this realm, for reasons which I cannot speak. Although, be known that your presences in the same realm will cause distortions… some of which are minor, and some of which carry danger. However, your return also means that another journey has yet to be experienced. And another threat has yet to be averted." The guests remained silent, for they knew that this seemingly vague information holds more than it seems. "Only time will tell how this tale will end. Do not fear, for our services may still be used, however, fear the time left, fear the power you have gained." The twins flinched at his last words. They were unusual for Igor… "Both of you have revived into different bodies than your previous ones. They are more powerful, they are far greater than that of a human, and they are far more vulnerable…" And with that, Igor disappeared, fading away… leaving the two guests slightly confused.

"That was weird… Igor was different," said Minako

"I agree… something's definitely wrong," answered her brother.

They exited the Velvet Room, with even more questions than before.

* * *

**Paulownia Mall**

_**Minato POV**_

When we exited the Velvet Room, its door seemed to vanish behind us as well. However, that was the least of our problems. Paulownia Mall was on fire. The fire blazed throughout the mall, innocent people screaming and running out of the mall, pushing and trampling over each other. In the centre of the chaos lay a shadow. It was strangely humanoid… unlike any shadow that we've ever encountered. _This is great… let's just hope that Igor wasn't kidding about 'more powerful'._

From that second, the mall became a [Danger Zone].

Minako reacted first. She flung herself towards the black humanoid mass and let her fist do the talking. The impact flung the startled shadow, and it shattered the glass panels of the police station. I followed suit and attacked the shadow with a barrage of kicks. The shadow's screams filled the air with each strike, but it did the most unexpected thing…

"Please! Listen to me! I'm not your enemy!" the shadow said in a feminine voice. It sounded strangely familiar. I hesitated upon hearing the shadow. Its shape slowly took form and I stared in complete and utter disbelief. It was Metis.

_Of all the shadows I could have met, Metis! Talk about a stroke of luck! I saw her helping SEES as they fought Erebus to try and protect me… Something's seriously going on here… _

"Metis-san! Who caused the fire?" I asked immediately.

"A young man, with white hair and a blue eyes. He somehow managed to summon shadows that know 'Agi' spells!" she cried. _Summon shadows?!_

"Metis-san! We need to extinguish the fire!" I said.

"On it!" she replied.

I turned around and saw Minako making sure that all the civilians had evacuated the mall. Blue smoke surrounded her and I could _feel _the raw power of her spiritual power as a silver gun materialised in her hand and she put the gun to her temple. The trigger was pulled and the sound of shattering glass could be heard. I could only watch my sister in complete awe.

"King Frost! Mabufudyne!"

Her Persona appeared and shards of ice formed on the floor, the wall, and on any fire that was present at the time. The great amount of power dissipated and I caught Minako before she fell to the ground.

"Thanks, Minato."

Minako managed to stand back up and the three of us fled the scene, not wanting to answer any questions regarding the ice formations in the dorm.

* * *

**SEES Headquarters (Co-Ed Dorm)**

_**Yu POV**_

The laughter slowly died down. I caught Yosuke's glance and I knew what it meant. _We are so dead. _I managed to maintain my composure; however, Yosuke was already panicking. _Man, do I have to tell him to calm the hell down every time something happens!_

"Although, I must say, getting this far must have been quite the challenge," said Kirijo-san.

_I was definitely expecting this…_

"We are here because of our school's cultural exchange. Nothing more. I assume that you that you are the previous inhabitants of this dorm?" I said in response to Kirijo-san's apparent suspicion.

"If you say so," was all Kirijo-san replied.

After sorting out the arrangements, with surprisingly no questioning regarding the investigation, we decided on our room assignments. Apparently the Shadow Operatives were unaware of our transfer. They left as soon as we were done. However, Aigis-san told us something before she left, "Do not, under any circumstances, open the last room on the 2nd floor." I was rather surprised at the harsh tone she used.

"We will be arriving back here at 9, Narukami. After all, we still have things to discuss," said Kirijo-san. _So, we're not of the hook yet… _We sat at the lounge, discussing the situation.

"Senpai! What are we going to do?!" asked Rise.

"The way Kirijo-san acted… It's as though she knew of our plan from the beginning," said Yukiko.

"Well, Yosuke wasn't really subtle…" I said.

"Hey! I thought that you were on my side!" retorted Yosuke.

"C'mon senpai, what's important now is that Kirijo-san didn't send us back," said Kanji

"Yeah, Kanji-kun is right! We should be focusing on the investigation!" exclaimed Chie

"Well, from what we can gather, the Shadow Operatives knew that we had planned to continue our investigation, the fact that we were assigned to their old dorm was definitely not expected. What we should do now is decide who will be addressing Kirijo-san when she returns, who will continue planning our next course of action, who will be scouting the area for useful locations and who will be gathering information regarding the incidents that occurred here," said Naoto.

"Wow! Nao-chan has this all planned out!" yelled Teddie.

"Isn't that the original plan we came up with?" asked Yosuke.

"Does it really matter, Yosuke? Anyway, here's how we'll be divided. Yosuke and I will be addressing Kirijo-san. Chie and Yukiko will plan our events. Of course, I will be helping you until Kirijo-san comes. Teddie and Kanji will be scouting around, followed by Yosuke until we need him. Rise and Naoto will research the events," I said.

Everyone nodded at my plan, signifying the fact that I was appointed as their leader, and we carried it out with much efficiency. Even Teddie was focused. _Honestly, I just used the original plan... didn't any of them memorise it!?_

* * *

**Port Island Station**

_**Minato POV**_

We ran all the way to Port Island Station. Surprisingly, Minako and I were able to catch up to Metis, who although was a shadow, is still somewhat of an android and should be able to outrun us easily. We weren't even breathing heavily. Minako seemed just as astonished as I was. Although her next question greatly surprised me, "So, Metis-san right? How do you know Onii-chan?"

_What? How could she not know Metis!? _

* * *

**Preview of the next Chapter:**

"_That was pretty boring..."_

"_I know..."_

"_Kazuya-kun's just having a hard time..."_

"_Anyway, moving on!"_

"_Yep, next chapter, Minato and Minako, the Shadow Operatives and the Investigation Team will come together!"_

"_There also might be some returning characters... or not!"_

"_Well, that's it..."_

"_Yeah... Goodbye..."_

* * *

Author's Note: Yes, it's short. Yes, there are hardly any changes. Yes, I know I owe you guys more chapters. Yes, I know I'm rambling. But, I'm dying! My holidays are gonna be over! -_- Well, I guess I can't update so soon since I also have my 2nd fanfic. But, I can assure you guys that there will be at least one update a week. No exceptions. But... if anyone would like to co-write this fanfic, I will welcome you! I don't desperately need help, but if you're good at action scenes and can help me organise my story ideas, then PM me! But please, if you do, you must be prepared to work with me. (I know that it doesn't sound so horrible, but trust me, working with me isn't exactly the best thing in the world. Just be patient, okay? Yeah... I must be really tired...)


	5. The Triangle of Love

Author's Note: Chapter 4... I'm sooo slow... I will speed up... eventually... For now... I'm gonna try my best... Even if I'm slow... Enough talk... More story... *falls asleep*

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona, Atlus does. I only own my OCs.

* * *

Chapter 4  
The Triangle of Love

* * *

**Afternoon**

**Port Island Station**

_**Aigis POV**_

Ever since we had left the dorm, Mitsuru-san, Akihiko-san, Fuuka-san, my sister and I had decided to go to Port Island Station. We had originally planned to think about our next course of action, but since we felt rather lethargic ever since we came out of the TV, we decided to take a short break to recover our strength.

"Mitsuru-san, is it truly a wise idea to let Narukami-san and his friends remain in the dorm?" I asked.  
"I'm sure that they won't do anything to vandalise or ruin it," she replied.  
"That is not what I-" I said before I saw three familiar people. I stopped in my steps and scanned the three figures in front of the movie theatre. I gasped.  
_It couldn't be... impossible... b-but... I-I thought that..._

Mitsuru-san, Akihiko-san and my sister noticed my rather peculiar actions and looked in the same direction.

"Aigis, did you see something?" asked Mitsuru-san.

"I-It cannot be... Minato-san...," I muttered to myself before running towards him, which gained the stares of many people there, including my friends.

_**Minato POV**_

"Minako, you've never met Metis-san before?" I asked.

"Nope. I've never even seen her before," she replied.

"Well, I have never seen you either," added Metis-san.

_Well, I guess I have to explain this to them... although, it would be hard since I barely understand the situation myself!_

It was then that I heard footsteps behind us. Someone was behind us, and whoever it was, they were almost right behind us. Minako and Metis had not noticed them as they continued to make small talk. I spun around, only to come face to face with... _Oh god, it can't be... Aigis!?_

She stopped very abruptly as she saw me. We looked at each other, not knowing what to do. I could tell that her thought processes had stopped, and so had mine. We simply stood there, not a word was uttered. Minako and Metis turned to face Aigis too.

Metis was the first to break the silence, "Sister! It's been such a long time!"

The two of us finally snapped out of our trance and Aigis replied, "Metis?"

Aigis then turned to face me, "Minato-san... is that you?"

"Yeah... it's me," I replied before Aigis practically ran into my arms. I barely caught her, considering that she was rather heavy, but decided not to bring it up; it would definitely spoil the moment. We held each other tightly and it seemed for a moment that we were the only two people in the world. Completely ignoring the stares from people around us, Aigis then looked up at me, tears flowing from her eyes, and I stared into those crystal blue orbs.

"Aigis..." I was at a loss for words.

"Minato-san..."

A while later, a few people caught up from behind Aigis. Some of them looked familiar. Aigis, upon realising that those people were behind her, let go of me, her cheeks bright red. I racked my brains for the identity of these people before it finally struck me.

"Akihiko-senpai? Mitsuru-senpai? Fuuka-chan?" I questioned in disbelief as I saw how much they had changed. They looked almost as surprised as I was. _Well, I didn't look surprised but I definitely was surprised..._

"Arisato? You're alive!?" exclaimed Mitsuru.

"Minato-kun... you're so young..." said Fuuka, with a slightly upset face.

"Minato, you... how...?" muttered Akihiko.

I noticed another figure beside Mitsuru-senpai. She had silvery hair tied in a single ponytail, bright red eyes and wore a long-sleeved t-shirt and jeans. _Her neck... it looks metal. Could she be another anti-shadow suppression weapon? I thought that all of them were destroyed?_

"Long time no see, guys," I replied calmly, as usual.

* * *

**SEES Headquarters (Co-Ed Dorm)**

_**Yu POV**_

Only Chie, Yukiko and I were left in the dorm. We sat at the lounge, which was unusually comfortable and luxurious for a school dorm, and discussed our plan on finding and defeating this new threat.  
"We seriously need more information than we have now," said Chie.  
"I agree with Chie, why don't we ask the Shadow Operatives for their cooperation, it wouldn't hurt to try," suggested Yukiko.  
"Asking them for help is possible, but, we don't know what they will think of our assistance in this case," I said.  
"But, without any leads to follow, we're practically in the dark!" argued Chie.  
I could not help but agree with Chie. She was right, we had completely no idea on who our enemy is, let alone how to defeat them.  
"Fine, but let's discuss this with the others when they get back," I suggested.  
"Alright," they both replied in unison.

* * *

**Hagakure Ramen,**

_**Yosuke POV**_

Hagakure Ramen was as packed as usual. Luckily, we were able to find seats after waiting for about half an hour. Although it was a very long wait, Kanji and Ted somehow managed to convince me to stay. But, now that I'm actually eating this ramen, I realised that it was more than worth the wait.

"O. M. G. This ramen is delicious!" I said, wolfing down my 2nd Hagakure Bowl.  
"Yosuke-senpai, I agree with you 110%! This is amazing!" said Kanii.  
"Teddie likes it too!" exclaimed Teddie, licking his bowl before ordering another.  
Man, the rest of the investigation team are going to kill us if they see what we're doing, but I don't care! This thing's way too good!

* * *

**Iwatodai Strip Mall**

_**Rise POV**_

"I just know that those boys are up to something," I told Naoto, who had just finished questioning a young man regarding the incidents.  
"Rise-chan, we should be focusing on the task at hand. If they are slacking, we will deal with them later," was her reply. And just like that, Naoto goes off to question another passer-by, the twentieth one today!  
_Sigh, can't she take a break? __I'm soooo tired... I wish that Senpai was here... at least he would understand my situation... Wait a minute, where's Naoto? Argh, she ran off again! Well, she couldn't have gone too far..._

* * *

**Port Island Station**

_**Minako POV**_

I couldn't believe it. I knew that Onii-chan should have a girlfriend, but Aigis?! Seriously?! I never knew Onii-chan swung that way. Damn, Aigis is lucky.

...

Wait... what?! I'm jealous of Aigis cause she's hugging my brother!? Well... It did feel kind of nice in bed with him... What?! Oh shit, don't tell me that I'm in love with... Onii-chan!  
"Hey, Minako, you okay?" asked Onii-chan, who had apparently stopped staring into Aigis' eyes and turned to face me.  
"Huh? I'm fine Onii-chan," I said, but then again..., "I feel kind of light-headed, Onii-chan. Can I lean on you?"  
Onii-chan nodded without hesitation. He supported me with one arm and let me place my head on his shoulder. _Okay, now this is __much, much__ better. _  
"Umm... who is she?" asked Aigis, pointing at Minako. When Aigis mentioned me, everyone else turned to look towards me as well.

"Umm... she's my twin sister, Minako. I'll explain back at the dorm... wait, the dorm's still around, isn't it?" asked Minato.  
"Yes, it is," replied Mitsuru, "However, it is currently being- nevermind, let's go."  
_Hmm... it seems that Aigis is jealous of me... Hehe, I wonder how this will turn out..._

* * *

**Roof of Port Island Station Cinema**

_**General POV**_

A lone figure stood atop the roof of the cinema in Port Island. He looked at the group of friends who had just reunited and smiled. "Enjoy all the time you have, Arisato. 'Cause by the time you're needed for the end, you will never see your precious friends again."

A second figure appeared behind the first, a female one.

"Are you still looking at them? You've been following them for hours," she said.

The masculine figure looked at her and replied, "I need to see if they are doing as planned. If one thing goes wrong, then the entire plan will fail."

"I understand that but..."

"This is far more important than any frivolities. I must ensure that nothing goes out of place."

"So, you want me to speak to the 'Malevolent Entity'?"

"Yes... tell him that the chosen ones are all in one place. He will commit the same mistake... I know it..."

"That's when we strike?"

"That's when we strike."

* * *

**And now...**  
**Preview of the next chapter!**

_"__The plot is thickening..."_

"_True... but there will be some fluffy stuff before everything goes haywire!"_

"_Yay! So, I assume that'll be the next chapter?"_

"_Yep!"_

"_Goodbye!"_

* * *

Author's Note: My updates are slowing down... my school work's really getting in the way and I can't think of a good plot while I'm on the bus or the train (even if I have an hour). So, I hope you guys aren't too upset.

On a lighter note, some people have volunteered to contribute ideas for the story. Thanks guys! I will announce their pen names when their ideas get shown in this fanfic. Well, apparently one of my friends decided to help me write some parts to speed this up. She doesn't have a FF account, and she's just helping me write this story. Well, that's it for now.

* * *

Co-Author's Note: Hihi! I'm the [official] co-author of this fanfic! Anyway, I've reviewed some of the ideas submitted and I think they're AWESOME! (Yes, I reviewed the ideas, Kazu-kun just replied to them.) Hehe, if your wondering, I gave Kazu-kun his nickname! Well, my friends call me Yuzu. (Well, you finally realise where our nicknames come from. Devil Survivor FTW!) Hope that you guys enjoy the new chapters!

I might be writing some of these chapters myself and some of them will be written by Kazu-kun. (Of course we discuss first!) Get used to new writing styles! So long and goodbye!

FYI: Apparently, my personality was used as the basis for the Preview OCs... (Haha, sounds like the anti-shadow weapons) I did not consent that! But, it's fine!


	6. Night at the Dorm

Author's Note: 5th Chapter up and running! Well, I have a long weekend, so I decided to stay up at night to finish this one up! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona, Atlus does. I only own my OCs.

* * *

Chapter 5  
Night at the Dorm

* * *

**Afternoon**

**Outside SEES Headquarters (Co-Ed Dorm)**

_**Minato POV**_

Following our _very _unexpected meeting, we had decided to return to the dorm to let Minako rest and to sort ourselves out and give Minako, Metis and I a chance to explain why we had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and for them to update us on the situation at hand. I began to recall the familiar sights and sounds from Iwatodai; students walking together after school, couples just enjoying the time they have together and the never-ending faceless crowd.

Minako and I were walking together in front of everyone else; both of us reminiscing on the times we spent here. Aigis and Metis were chatting animatedly, about topics that somehow made Aigis blush. Akihiko-senpai and Mitsuru-senpai simply kept silent as we walked. Fuuka-chan and the other Anti-Shadow Weapon, Labrys, were giggling as they seemed to eavesdrop on Aigis' and Metis' conversation.

_What's this weird feeling I have...? _Upon reaching the dorm's doorstep, I asked, "Mitsuru-senpai, is there anyone in the dorm?"

Mitsuru paused and looked rather astonished for a brief moment but replied, "Yes. They are...students transferring to Gekkoukan."

Aigis stepped up and opened the door to the dorm and the eight of us entered the dorm. As I entered the ever-familiar lounge where we used to spend our time together, I saw three students sitting on the sofas, apparently discussing something important by the looks on their faces. One of them was a black-haired young lady. Her clothing was mostly red and she appeared rather elegant. In contrast, there was a brown-haired girl who was sitting in a rather laid-back fashion, sporting green clothes. The last one was a silver-haired young man who seemed to be leading the discussion. _What's this feeling I get from him...?_ Their eyes were fixated on us as we went into the dorm.

_**Yu POV  
**_  
When I realised that the front doors were opening, I thought that I would be greeted by Yosuke or Rise, but instead, I saw the Shadow Operatives and three people whom I had never seen before. Chie, Yukiko and I were puzzled by the blue-haired boy, the auburn-haired girl resting on his shoulders and... another anti-shadow weapon!? I stood up to greet them politely, but the blue-haired boy quickly entered and let the girl rest on the sofa. He kept a calm face, even though he was obviously being stared at, and radiated a mysterious aura. The rest of them followed him into the lounge and Aigis-san closed the door behind them.

_Hmm... there's something familiar about that blue-haired boy... it feels so... nostalgic..._

"Narukami, I know that we had planned to return much later but we need to settle some things now," said Kirijo-san. I nodded and promptly sat down, and so did everyone else.

"Kirijo-san? The Shadow Operatives? What're you guys doing here so soon?" asked a puzzled Chie.

"Well, there are some things that we wish to clarify. With you, and with our... old friends," replied Aigis-san.

After a short pause, Kirijo-san cleared her throat and stated, "We have absolutely no doubt that you are planning to continue your investigation, am I right?"

I nodded my head. There was no point in keeping it a secret anymore. Even if they were just making assumptions, which I highly doubt, they will find out sooner or later.

"Well, I guess there was no doubt from the beginning that we were planning this," I said. Chie and Yukiko looked at me, rather surprised that I had revealed our plan.

_But... they're not the only one who has a surprise up their sleeve..._

"However, Kirijo-san, I think that there is also no doubt that you will not stop us from doing so," I added.

_Naoto did pass on some of her detective skills to me while we were solving the 'Phantom Thief' case. The fact that Kirijo-san did not bring up the investigation when we first came here was strong proof that she did not plan to stop our investigation._

A small smile crept onto Kirijo-san's lips. _I was right._

"Now that we have that settled, could someone tell me what's going on here!?" questioned the auburn-haired girl.

She managed to draw everyone's attention, however, the blue-haired boy who sat beside her just sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. Aigis-san was the first to respond, "But before that, why don't you tell us about yourself?"

_**Minako POV**_

_Aigis... can't she remember me at all...? She used to always be right by me, a true friend... what happened to her...?_

"Aigis, you don't remember me, do you?" I asked. Aigis looked even more suspicious and I decided to re-tell everything, hoping to erase all questions and suspicions of me, "First things first, I'm Minato's twin, Minako. He was born slightly earlier than me and we were always together for the first six years of our lives. Then, on one fateful night in September... our parents died... and we never saw each other ever again..."

The old members of SEES looked at Onii-chan with shock, but he confirmed that everything I said was true. The new transfer students were confused, but I decided it would be best to let Mitsuru-senpai handle them. _Since Mitsuru-senpai mentioned some investigation... I bet these guys are Persona-users. What's more, I can feel some spiritual power radiating from them... __especially that silver-haired kid..._

"I'm sorry if this is interrupting something important, but, could you explain everything to us, from the beginning. Considering the fact that we are working together now, shouldn't we share our information?" asked the girl with black hair.

_Well, that was expected, I guess. I mean, we should share our information. I want to know why a bunch of high school students are in our dorm!_

"Well, in that case, may I suggest that we explain the Persona-related events that happened to both of our teams to avoid any more questions," suggested Aigis.

"Wait. We should wait for the rest of our team to come back," said the silver-haired boy. _He does seem like some kind of leader..._

"Alright then, we'll wait-"

"We're back!" yelled a feminine voice from the dorm entrance, who had cut me off. I turned towards the large wooden doors and watched as a girl with reddish hair and pigtails dragged a boy with headphones and another with blonde hair into the dorm. She was followed by two young men, one with blue hair and a cap and the other with bleached hair, wearing a leather jacket. The group of people who had just entered sat at the lounge sofas, which was now becoming rather cramped thanks to the amount of people sitting on it. The newcomers looked very puzzled at us. The silver-haired boy, who I have suspicions of being their leader, spoke up, "You guys are just on time. We were just going to start explaining our situations to each other. Kirijo-san won't stop our efforts either."

The newcomers were even more puzzled upon hearing their leader's speech. Sighing, he allowed us to continue.

_**Minato POV**_

_I knew this was coming... __There was no way that we would cooperate... __whatever we were doing...__ without knowing more about each other..._ First, we did a brief introduction. Following that, the members of SEES looked at me, obviously asking me to explain the Dark Hour and Tartarus.

I stood up, cleared my throat and began, "Well, it started one night in April, 2009..."

…

…

…

"... and so, we defeated Nyx and I became the Great Seal," I finished. _I think that covers everything..._ The teenagers nodded their heads in understanding and Aigis stood up.

"Approximately one month after Minato-san had passed away... we were thrown into yet another abnormal event..."

…

…

…

"... and so we defeated Erebus and made a resolve to better ourselves for the future," finished Aigis.

"Wait, you mentioned that there were more people like Takeba Yukari-san and Iori Junpei-san," said Kujikawa.

"We haven't seen them in a while. Everyone has been living down their own path ever since we left the Abyss of Time," said Akihiko-senpai.

"Wait a minute... I just realised that you didn't even mention Minako-san. Where does she come in?" asked Shirogane, whom we now realise is a girl.

_**Minako POV **_

It was my turn to explain myself. _I hope they believe me... I mean... I don't even know how this happened! _I stood up, and began, "Like I said earlier, I'm Minato's twin. Ever since that car crash, I never saw him again. The police assumed that he was dead. From then on, I was moved from relative to relative before I ended up transferring to Gekkoukan High when I was sixteen. From then on, my story was rather similar to that of Minato."

Fuuka voiced her concerns almost immediately, "Both of you never saw each other since the car crash? Wait a minute... wasn't that the day that Tartarus and the Dark Hour was created?"

Minato and I exchanged glances.

_Fuuka's right, that was the day that the Dark Hour started._

_Yeah, it's been bothering me for a while too._

_You think it's coincidence?_

_It's never a coincidence._

"Minako-san, what you are saying is, you were in some kind of parallel world were everything was the same as it is here, but you were our leader?" questioned Aigis.

"That's the gist of it, Aigis," I replied.

"I find your story rather hard to believe, but I will for now," said Mitsuru-senpai.

"I believe her," interrupted Minato, "She may be hyperactive and a little annoying at times, but she's my twin. I know it. And she would never lie to me."

_...Minato... thank you... _I felt tears forming in my eyes, but I held them back. I wouldn't want to cry in front of everyone now, would I?

_**Yu POV**_

From the looks of things, it was our turn to tell them about the TV World. As the leader, I stood up, just like the others, and told them our story, "Similarly to Arisato-san, I was a transfer student. However, I was transferring to Yasogami High..."

…

…

…

"... we defeated Izanami, restored Inaba and cleared the fog."

After we finished hearing three long explanations, I slumped back onto the sofa before Kirijo-san addressed everyone.

"Unfortunately, we are not done yet. We still have to explain the events that occurred in the TV World while we were there," said Kirijo-san.

"I think we can tell that story another time. It's already dark," suggested Arisato Minako-san. All of us agreed and we decided on our room assignments before heading up the stairs and into our respective rooms.

* * *

[And so, time passed...]

* * *

**Evening**

**Minato's room**

_**Minato POV**_

_I thought that Mitsuru-senpai had a strict rule about boys and girls sleeping in the same room... So why am I stuck with..._

"Minato! Hurry up and open the door!" yelled a _very _irritating voice from behind me.

"Just wait, Minako." I replied as calmly as possible while searching my pockets for my room keys. After what seemed like an eternity, I found them and unlocked my room door. Before I could even take another step, Minako hopped onto _my_ bed without a second thought, without even bothering to ask my permission.

Sighing, I ignored her antics and went straight into my bathroom to take a nice, long, warm shower. I took of my blazer and threw it on the bed, which landed on Minako, much to her disappointment... _or was it amusement..._, and entered my bathroom. The door was actually hidden beside my cupboard; anyone who looked at my bedroom from an angle wouldn't be able to find it.

The bathroom was actually rather large compared to my room. There was both a shower and a bathtub, the latter which I rarely use, and the marble flooring was a nice touch. _The marble's pretty cold though... My feet could use a little warmth..._ I quickly undressed, entered my shower and turned on the tap. The warm water worked wonders on my aching body, wiping away my fatigue. I enjoyed the warmth while I pondered the strange events that happened today...

_Sigh... I can't believe Minako's back. I do miss her... a lot... but... she does have a tendency to annoy me sometimes... but I hardly ever stay mad at her, do I? I mean... she's cute... and she's cheerful too... There's nothing not to like about her... I would even date her... if not for the fact that she's my sister... Then again, even if I did, at least I won't be accused of dating two girls simultaneously... I could only imagine the hell I would go through if I actually did that... Guess it's another good thing I met Aigis before I thought about dating Yukari... If I didn't... well, I wouldn't be together with Aigis now, would I? _

_I paused as I thought about Aigis. She was always there for me, a true friend. She protected me a countless __number of times from the Shadows, and she would never leave anyone behind. She always put others first, although, the way she seemed to hurt herself emotionally while doing so made me feel bad for __allowing her to continue to do so__. She claimed that I was her 'highest priority'... But to me, it was the other way 'round. She was more important to me than life itself... __I was completely mesmerised the first time I saw those azure eyes... so full of meaning and purpose... over time, they only shone brighter. She was not just the 7__th__ Generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon... She was Aigis, a shield to her friends, and someone who __of her own free will,__ would never leave my side..._

I was pulled back into reality when I heard the faint sound of my bathroom door opening. Instinctively, I turned away from the door. _Dammit, I didn't lock the door! I guess I'm too used to being in my room alone, huh?_ I didn't even bother to see who was at the door, for I knew that there would only be one person in this entire plane of existence who would purposely intrude on my shower. _Minako Arisato._

"Minako! Get the hell out of my bathroom!" I yelled, completely losing my composure.

"Oh come on, Minato! I'm your _twin sister_! We've even bathed together before! What's a little peek?" she replied.

_That was the last straw._

"Minako! We were six at the time!" I retorted.

After some incessant giggling, she finally said, "Fine, but remember, Minato-nii, I know _everything_ about you, including how much you actually want me to stay!"

As Minako left the bathroom, closing the door behind her, I could not help but let that feeling of warmth on my cheeks reveal itself.

_Curse you, Minako! But dammit... she's right... Argh, what am I thinking!? To hell with this! And now, she calls me 'Minato-nii'. Man... I thought Onii-chan was embarrassing...especially when she yells it in public..._

Removing Minako from every thought I had, I quickly exited the shower after wearing some fresh clothes.__As I returned to my room, surprisingly, Minako did not attempt to do anything 'funny' and instead, went straight into the shower. _Thank god she decided to spare me... _I plopped on my bed and threw my blazer on the floor. _I'll pick it up later. _I grabbed the TV remote from under my pillow, which was still there after two years, and switched on the TV.

Some time passed as I watched a variety of shows, however, Minako was still in the shower. _What's taking her so long? _

I stifled a yawn.Since I was feeling rather sleepy, I placed my head on my pillow and closed my eyes.

* * *

[And so, time passed...]

* * *

**Late Night**

_**Minato POV**_

_I must have fallen asleep... I wonder for how long...?_

From what I could see, the sky outside was dark, the TV however, was still on. I tried to sit upright but found that something was weighing me down. It was then that I heard the soft sound of rhythmic breathing and felt cool air at my throat.

"Hmm... Minato... you're so warm..." muttered a sound asleep Minako.

_And just when I thought that I had managed to forget the Shirakawa Boulevard scene..._

Minako slowly woke up, much to my disappointment, and she looked at me with those sleepy eyes.

_Why is my twin sister so cute!? Dammit, I really need to stop thinking that!_

"Minato... you're finally awake. It was so rude of you to sleep before I had a chance to even say goodnight to my beloved brother..." teased Minako.

"Minako... leave me alone... It already feels awkward enough to be in this position..." I grumbled.

"Since it already feels awkward, why don't we do more?" she asked, a playful smile on her lips.

_I am going to regret this..._

Much to Minako's surprise, and my own, I put my arms around her in a tight embrace and locked our lips. I could feel the heat radiating from her face as we closed our eyes, savouring every moment. We started to run out of breath and our lips parted.

"Minato... you... could... have... warned... me..." said Minako in between breaths.

Looking at her blushing face, I could not help but pull her in for a second kiss; this time, I felt her hair brushing my forehead as I could imagine that mine brushed hers. We stayed there for a long time before we could not hold it any longer.

"Minato... y... you... are... in... so... much... trouble..." she managed to say.

After we spent more time together, I finally started to realise how close we really were...

* * *

**Junpei's room**

_**Yu POV**_

After our little introductions and 'story-telling' session, each of us was assigned to a room. Since some of the older members of 'SEES' were not here, we were allowed to stay in their rooms. I was in a room previously owned by a person know as Junpei Iori-san. The rooms were pretty nice; each had it's own TV and it was kept in pretty good condition, not a speck of dust in sight. I was given two extra futons to accommodate three people, because for some reason, I was assigned to the same room as Yosuke and Teddie.

"Why are the three of us cramped into one room!" yelled Yosuke, who was trying to snatch the blanket back from Teddie.

"And what's more, I'm stuck with Yosuke!" complained Teddie, who was also fighting for his right to remain warm under the covers.

"It could be worse," I replied. _If they hate each other that much... Why doesn't one of them sleep on the spare futon while the other sleeps on the bed... Then again, they would argue over who sleeps where. I wonder how in the world they live with each other... I'll just switch on the TV to drown out the noise..._

"Give it back, Ted!"

"Stop it, Yosuke!"

_Stay calm... They have to stop eventually, right?_

"Why, of all the people!"

"I'm not that bad!"

_Just bear with it for a little longer..._

"Just shut the hell up!"

"You first!"

_That's it!_

"Would you both just shut up!" I yelled at the top of my voice.

Yosuke and Teddie were instantly silenced. _If only yelling like that works on Shadows..._ Sigh, I rarely ever lose my composure. I must be really tired. I left the TV on and went to sleep, "Rain is expected to fall in the Iwatodai area later tonight..."

* * *

**Ken's room**

_**Chie POV**_

_I was scared almost half to death. I knew that the voice of our leader could instil more than respect, but __I've__ never heard him yell that loud!_

"Y-Yukiko, was that Yu-kun?!" I stammered after having nearly having a heart-attack.

"I-I think so..." answered Yukiko.

"He must be really angry to have shouted that loud," I said

"I agree," replied Yukiko.

We were given a room on the 2nd floor, which was apparently the boy's floor, simply because the girl's floor had no more vacant rooms. _I doubt that any of the guys would come in here, well except for Yosuke and Teddie... _

Yukiko and I were watching the prequel of 'Trial of the Dragon' that Yosuke got for me on my birthday. _I wonder why he even bothered giving me a present..._ I was so psyched to watch this after watching the original and the sequel. _It's a good thing I called Yu-kun to go with me __to watch the sequel__! I was so glad when he came! The movie was epic!_

"Chie, do you think that cooperating with the Shadow Operatives was a good idea?" asked Yukiko.

"Well, the more the merrier, right?" I replied.

I felt rather uneasy with my reply and I knew that Yukiko could tell. She's not my best friend for nothing.

"I know but... do you think that they will... you know... think that we're just teenagers and can't do much to help them?" questioned Yukiko.

"I don't really know... That Kirijo lady sounded pretty sincere though..." I said.

"I guess you're right... I must be over-thinking things..." muttered Yukiko.

The both of us continued to watch the movie late into the night. We slept at some point, although, as far as I know, we never switched off the TV...

* * *

**Akihiko's Room**

_**Akihiko POV**_

_Now I know why none of his friends wanted to sleep with __this guy__! His snoring won't let me sleep, __even for a second__! __Sigh,__i__t's no use…_ I got up from my bed and sat at my study desk. After all, I needed to go back to college if I ever want to become a police officer. _How hard can studying be?_ _I did get __good grades__ back in the first term of high school. Although, it was because of my injured ribcage… Focus! _I flipped through Mitsuru's carefully arranged and organised notes.

I was in my own room and one of the 'Investigation Team' members was sleeping with me. From what I knew, his name was Kanji Tatsumi. When we were deciding the room assignments, none of his friends wanted to sleep with him at all. At that point in time, I wondered why. At first, I thought that it could be because of his biker gang outfit or something... But now, I know.

_Dammit, I can't even concentrate on reading Mitsuru's notes with this noise! Maybe I should go for an evening jog to relax my mind... If I wanted Mitsuru to 'execute' me. Dammit, maybe some TV will help to ease my mind... and my ears..._

* * *

**Yukari's Room**

_**Naoto POV**_

Rise-chan and I were assigned to a room on the 3rd floor previously owned by Yukari Takeba-san. The room was very well furnished, although, most of the furniture and even the walls were a shade of pink. _Pink must have been Yukari Takeba-san's favourite colour... I guess..._

"Naoto-kun! Why are you still awake!?" yelled Rise-chan, who was lying down on the bed.

_I was going through some of the information that I had gathered. I knew that I should be sleeping but..._

"Rise-chan, give me a while longer. I'll finish up soon and-"

"No way! I'm not gonna let you stay all night! Here, let me help you sort things out so that we can get it done faster!" suggested Rise-chan.

I didn't have much of a choice as Rise-chan got up and went to the study desk where she started to help me organise my reports.

_Well, I guess it'll be faster this way..._

As we sorted the reports, I could see that Rise-chan was already starting to yawn. _She's not use to staying up late, huh?_

"Rise-chan, I am rather used to sleeping late, so I should be fine. Please, don't overexert yourself!" I warned.

"But, Naoto-"

"Rise-chan, please, you won't be much help if you're tired as well... Tell you what, if you don't want to sleep before I do, why don't you watch some TV? At least I won't be alone as I do this," I suggested, hoping that Rise-chan wouldn't object too much.

I heard a grumble escape her mouth but decided not to bring it up as she switched on the TV and let me do my work in peace.

* * *

**Aigis' Room**

_**Aigis POV**_

Metis and I were assigned to my room on the 3rd floor. I could hear Metis' soft breathing in my otherwise silent space. _She must have been tired from all the events that happened today..._

My room honestly hasn't changed much since I had last been here. I have not been living in this dorm nor the lab which is run by the Shadow Operatives. As a matter of fact, I own an apartment not too far from here. _I could still remember how Mitsuru-san insisted to pay the rent for me... I truly owe her much more than I could ever pay off... _My apartment was rather large; enough to accommodate more than one person and it did have it's luxuries as well. It had two floors and two bedrooms, a small kitchen and a large screen TV. However, I lived alone. Yukari-san originally lived there temporarily before she finally sorted things out with her mother. _I wonder where she is now...? _

"Sister, are you still awake?" asked Metis, who had just woken up.

"Yes, I am, Metis," I replied.

"Sister... I'm sorry if this seems sudden but... are you... in love with Minato-san...?"

I could feel a blush creep up my cheeks as Metis asked that question.

"W-Why do you ask?" I said, rather uncomfortable with the direction of this conversation.

"Well, you seem to like him a lot, and he seems that way too!" exclaimed a rather excited Metis.

"M-Metis!" I yelled.

"Sorry, I couldn't help but point it out! The two of you make a wonderful couple... especially that night when you snuck into his-"

"M-Metis! H-How did you know that!?" I asked, cutting Metis off.

"...Sister, you do know that I'm... your shadow, right?" asked Metis.

_Metis... my shadow? You mean... like Labrys' shadow?_

"Metis... what are you talking about?" I questioned.

"Sister... I can't believe you didn't know... You've faced shadows before, right...? Like I said, Shadows and Personas are one and the same... They're simply suppressed human thoughts given physical form... I am nothing but your shadow..." said Metis.

"But... if you say that Personas and Shadows are one and the same, how could I summon my Persona while you were around in the Abyss of Time!? And how could you summon Psyche!?" I asked.

"That's simple. Everyone has more than one Shadow. It's just that... even Persona-users usually don't awaken to more than one Persona. At most, those Persona will evolve. But, there are a select few who are capable of wielding more than one Persona... Their powers are the most mysterious of all... To answer your second question... I am a Shadow... but, thanks to you, I developed my own psyche... and thus, I was able to summon a Persona..." explained Metis.

_My Shadow... Metis is my Shadow... Nothing more..._

"This is rather confusing, Metis..." I said.

"I guess it is... I'll explain it in further detail some other time. Now, why don't we watch a movie or something? I'm quite bored..." replied Metis.

_I thought that she was sleepy..._

* * *

**Fuuka's Room**

_**Labrys POV**_

Since there was only a few rooms left, Fuuka-san generously let me sleep with her. I couldn't sleep, though. Kept thinkin' about all the trouble I caused everyone in the TV World...

_It's a good thing that it was solved, huh? I'm glad that Mitsuru-san didn't lock me up again... She's actually pretty nice... And Aigis was pretty sweet too... Man... I can't believe that they managed to develop a personality from scratch... although, I guess my memories were still passed on to the next generations... And that other android... Metis... she looked familiar... like someone I met before... Sigh, there's no use thinkin' about it, is there? I guess I'll find out along the way..._

_I looked to my left and i__t seems as though Fuuka-san is fast asleep. I shouldn't disturb her. I don't wanna cause a ruckus now, do I? _I was browsin' through the multitudes of channels that the dorm has. I came across a few interestin' ones but once they finished, I changed the channel again. _I hope I'm not watching too much TV though, it kinda scares me since I did fall through one..._

* * *

**Command Room**

_**Mitsuru POV**_

"Mitsuru-senpai, is that you?"

"Mitsuru-senpai, long time no see!"

"Kirijo-san, is there something important you need to tell us?"

I smiled. It felt nice to hear from old friends again. I was currently on a video call with three ex-SEES members. I let myself lay back on my chair as I told them my plans.

"Takeba, Iori, Amada. It has been such a long time," I said.

"Senpai, I doubt you called us just to say 'hello'," said Takeba.

"Yeah, Mitsuru-senpai. So, what do you need us for?" asked Iori.

I pondered my request for a brief moment.

"I know that I have promised not to disturb all of you after you said that you would want to live normal lives, but, I'm afraid, that we need all the help we can get," I said.

"Kirijo-san, if it is really that important, I guess we could go, but we need some form of excuse from school. Since, I'm in junior high and Yukari-san and Junpei-san are in college, we can't just disappear," said Amada.

"Yeah, I agree with Ken. None of us have any problems with helping you, we just need some kind of excuse-"

"Stupei, your just too lazy to attend courses, aren't you? But, Senpai, if you really need us, then fine. We _are_ the founding members of the Shadow Operatives, after all."

"I would also like to inform you that your positions in the organisation have not changed. As soon as I excuse you from school, all of you will be on active duty," I finished.

"Is that all? G'night Mitsuru-senpai!" yelled Iori.

"'Night, Senpai," said Takeba.

"Goodnight, Kirijo-san," said Amada.

The monitors switched off and I stood up from my chair. _I should get some sleep..._ I went to my room to take a shower. _Maybe I should watch some TV before I go to sleep..._

* * *

**Outside Iwatodai Dorm**

_**General POV**_

A lone figure stood on the path that led to the dorm. The night was cool and a slight breeze was blowing. The darkness of the night loomed over all and the only illumination was the eerie moonlight. The area was almost deserted, for almost no one would go out this close to midnight, especially with the supernatural events that occurred here last year...

"Has the crawling chaos fell into my trap?" asked the lone figure, appearing to address no one in particular.

"It was just as you planned."

* * *

**Preview of the Next Chapter:**

_"This is getting pretty creepy..."_

"_Yeah I agree..."_

"_But for all of you 2-D fighting game fans out there-"_

"_You'd better be 100% prepared and fired up!"_

"_There ain't no Persona series game without a fight-"_

"_And this fanfic would not be complete without some action!"_

"_Let the battles begin!"_

* * *

Author's Note: =_= That was the longest chapter so far... Sorry it took so long! Anyway, please be patient for the next update because this time, all the battles will be included! (Although they will be split into different chapters.) Please review!

* * *

Co-Author's Note: I didn't know that writing could be so tiring! But it feels awesome to be able to read all those reviews that you guys send in! I know some people are busy, but please review if you can! This is it for Chapter 5! -Yuzu


	7. Let the Battles Begin!

Author's Note: I fixed a couple of errors and smoothed out the sentence structures in the first few chapters. My writing isn't exactly the best, especially when it comes to certain scenes, but I'll try my best! My life hasn't been going too well either; Yuzu won't be helping out for a while since her school's going for an overseas trip (which will take quite a long time; even so, she might not be helping any more due to some family issues which I'd rather not discuss) and everything has been one bad turn after another (I'd rather not say what happened). I'm still sorry that this chapter is late... But hey, we all have ups and downs, right? Enough talk, here's the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Persona, Atlus does. I only own my OCs.

* * *

Chapter 6

Let the Battles Begin!

* * *

**Minato's Room**

_**Minato POV**_

_That was one tiring night... I still can't believe that I did that to Minako... But, I have to admit, being separated from your twin for years can make you long for each other in ways that you cannot imagine... _Sighing, I stretched my fatigued arms and looked at the clock. _Hmm, it's almost midnight. Usually, I would be more cautious around this time, either waiting for Pharos, preparing to go to Tartarus or simply because of the frightening and drastic change that occurs every night. _I smiled. _Used to occur, I should say._

I adjusted myself into a comfortable position to go back into my slumber before hearing that cheerful and bubbly; albeit tired voice that I had known since the day I was born.

"Minato, are you still awake?" asked my twin, who was lying right next to me, cradling her head in my neck.

"Yeah, why?" I asked in return.

"I still can't believe that I'm here, next to you," she whispered.

"Same here," I said, placing my arm around her, pulling her closer.

"Don't you feel guilty? I mean, you're practically cheating on Aigis," she teased.

"The way I see it, I'm just spending time with the only family I have left," I replied.

As those words escaped my lips, I sensed the warmth from Minako's face as she buried her face deeper into my neck. I shifted myself to face her and indulged in the sight of her blushing face. _All this time, I can't even remember what our parents looked like. But for some reason, I never forgot that cheerful and beautiful face despite the time that we were apart. Maybe I always harboured some kind of feeling for Minako... we were always together after all. Come rain or shine, we had each other's back; even if the whole world turns against us, we will stand together. As twins... and lovers..._

11:59:56

11:59:57

11:59:58

11:59:59

12:00:00

_Minato, do you feel something?_

_Yeah, something's off..._

_Do you hear that?_

_It sounds... distorted..._

_We should get up, this isn't normal._

The both of us got up and sat on the bed, looking for the source of our uneasiness. Almost instantly, our eyes drifted to the TV, where white ripples appeared on the screen. We stood up and took a defensive stance, ready to face anything.

"Wait a minute... doesn't that look like how Narukami-kun described the entrance to the TV World?" asked Minako, who now looked as fearsome as her Personae.

"You're right... but what's going on here?" I replied, my hands curled into fists.

It was then that I felt a weak force pushing me from behind. The TV seemed to get closer and it seemed to get faster. I glanced at Minako, who was trying to grab onto the bed as the push became stronger.

"Minato, grab onto something!" she yelled. It now seemed as though a hurricane was sucking me into the screen. But it was too late, I was barely an inch away from the TV. I was mesmerised by the rippling pattern and Minako's voice faded into the background as my surroundings became covered in white...

* * *

**Junpei's Room**

_**Yu POV**_

Clutching the desk, I squinted my eyes as the gale became stronger. Yosuke and Teddie were no longer here. _Dammit, I should have helped them! __An e__ntrance to the TV World appearing outside of Inaba;__a__fter all this time, I can't believe that I didn't see the danger! _I grit my teeth and braced myself. _There's no choice. They're my friends and there's no way that I'll leave them behind!_ My fingers loosened their grip and a smiled crept up my lips. _Yosuke was right, I do bring mysteries wherever I go, don't I? _

* * *

**Ken's Room**

_**Chie POV**_

"Yukiko, don't let go!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, trying to hold on to my best friend as we were forcefully sucked into the TV. Yukiko was already knee-deep into the screen and my nails were digging into the pole of the bed, hoping that it would be strong enough to support us.

"Chie, let me go! If you don't, you'll be sucked in too!" yelled Yukiko, who was sinking deeper into the TV with each passing second. There was no hope. It was either I let go, or the both of us fall in. _If whoever set this up planned to separate us, it's definitely not going to work. Not now, not ever._

"Yukiko, we promised to be true friends to each other, and true friends never leave each other's side!" I exclaimed; my hand could no longer take it. _We'll make it through, Yukiko._

* * *

**Akihiko's Room**

_**Akihiko's POV**_

_How is this possible!? The reports say that the TV World can only be accessed from Inaba! _

Tatsumi and I were clinging on for our very lives. Falling into the TV would be the worst thing to do right now. I held my ground, but Tatsumi could not do the same. He lost his footing and fell into the rippled screen, stretching his hand out to me in vain. _This isn't happening! Dammit! The wind's getting stronger... if only I could secure some form of escape! _However, there was no time. No time to think. No time to plan. There was only one course of action. And only one choice to make.

* * *

**Aigis' Room**

_**Aigis POV**_

"Metis!"

"Siste-"

She was cut off as I saw her fingers disappear into the void. _This energy, the readings are off the scale! It would be completely impossible for even the mother of all shadows to cause this! _I tried to escape, but each step I took back only caused the energy to suck me in even more. _Even if I were to escape, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for leaving Metis! _I let go, not a single strand of doubt present in me.

* * *

**Fuuka's Room**

_**Labrys POV**_

"Fuuka-san!" I yelled, tears flowing down my cheeks. I couldn't believe what had just happened. She couldn't hold on and left me behind. It's getting too strong... _I'm scared...but, I won't let anyone die because of me again! It's time to make up for all the sister units I destroyed; but this time, I won't fai__l!_

* * *

**Yukari's Room**

_**Naoto POV**_

"Rise-chan, can you determine the source of this wind!?" I asked, desperately trying to avoid getting sucked in.

"No, it seems to be coming from the other side!" yelled Rise-chan, who was almost at her limit.

_This isn't good. At this rate, we won't be able to last for much longer. If only I had more time... Argh, there's nothing I can do in this situation!_

"Naoto-kun, I just analysed this thing and I think it's happening throughout the dorm!" screamed Rise-chan.

"Throughout the dorm!? Who's already in!?" I asked, frantically trying to hold on to the door.

"Most of them already are! And this thing's getting strong-"

Rise-chan screamed and fell foot-first into the TV. _If there's only one way, then I have no choice. I must save Rise-chan and everyone else!_

* * *

**Mitsuru's Room**

_**Mitsuru POV**_

_Ugh, I barely had enough time to go back to sleep after all that work in the Command Room, and now this!? Something's going on here... this pulsing energy and this wind... it's so familiar. Ack- _My fingers were being stretched from the force exerted on them. _I can only hope that everyone else is safe!_

* * *

**Roof of Iwatodai Dorm**

_**General POV**_

Despite the chaos that was befalling the residence of this very dorm, the exterior seemed unchanged. There was nothing that would alert anyone of such an event occurring. But of course, there were some who knew of these events, and they would make sure that nothing would or could stop it.

"Hmm, he has done it."

"Why does he want to send the Chosen Ones to the TV World? More importantly, why do you?"

"Simple. By doing such an act, the very fabric of space and time will be distorted. _They _will open and _their _powers will definitely have a profound effect on this world. And it will also affect _him_."

"Why do you want to get rid of _him _so much?"

"_He _has overstayed _his _welcome. He will no longer have any control. And all _his _allies will fall, including the crawling chaos."

"I see. In that case, shouldn't we prepare to intercept the Chosen Ones?"

"Yes, we should."

* * *

**TV World?**

_**Yu POV**_

_This sensation, it's strangely different as compared to when we normally enter the TV world. Something's going to happen, I can just feel it..._ The usual black and white scene greeted my entrance and I closed my eyes. _That pattern really makes me dizzy sometimes..._ Having gone into the TV World many times, I could sense if the fall was going to end. After a while, I stretched my legs towards the ground and landed safely... _Wait a minute... Why is it so silent? There's usually music that starts playing out of nowhere..._ It was then that I started to look around. _What the- _Everything was a sickly green and the moon was huge. Puddles of blood were scattered throughout the area, which resembled Iwatodai. I walked forward and heard a voice ringing in my head, "Welcome to my world, Narukami. I congratulate you for coming this far. You seem to be wondering where you are. Welcome to the never ending Midnight."

_Never ending Midnight?!_ "Show yourself!" I shouted.

[_Baby baby baby baby baby baby yeah~_]

[_Fear's awake; anger beats loud_]

[_Face reality; never beat charity_]

[_The enemy you're fighting; covers whole society (Damn right)_]

[_Mommy's not here, gotta fight (all night)_]

_Okay, weird background music. Check. Now, if my predictions are correct..._

The ominous noises. The uneasy feeling. _Seems like they have the advantage... _Shadows started to surround me from all directions. I materialised a katana in my hand... a little trick I learned from Teddie... Some of the shadows looked like tiny kings while others looked like lions. There was only one way out. I had to fight.

A blue mist formed around me; it slowly started to thicken as my energy became stronger. "Izanagi-no-Okami!" I yelled, slashing the tarot card with my sword before charging alongside my Persona towards the hoard of Shadows. "Ziodyne!" A large blast of lightning broke the first wave of shadows and I dashed past them and lashed my sword at the nearest shadow, turning it into black smoke. "Swift Strike!" With Izanagi by my side, I slid past at least 20 shadows and they disappeared in the blink of an eye. Turning around, with electricity surging through my blade, I launched an uppercut from under a shadow which took the appearance of an army tank, launching it into the air, and hurled it back down to the ground. Gripping my sword, I flung it towards a 'Fanatic Tower' shadow, slicing it's mask cleanly into two halves. I ran forward to grab my sword before continuing this seemingly never-ending battle. _This is going to take a while... _"Izanagi!"

[_You're the only one_]

[_One world, One love_]

[_But the battle goes on_]

[_Shadows of Mass Destruction_]

* * *

**TV World**

_**Minato POV**_

_Ow, my head hurts... Dammit... Where am I? Wait... didn't I fall into the TV...?_ I quickly came to my senses and sat up. _Crap, my back hurts! Lying on the floor really hurts, doesn't it...? How long have I been out...? _I stood up and was speechless at what I saw. A sickly green sky, puddles of blood scattered throughout the area and the ever-present moon. It was the Dark Hour.

_Why is the Dark Hour back? And why is it inside the TV? Narukami said that the TV World reflects the human heart... so why this? _There was no point in thinking about it either; whenever Personas and Shadows are involved, logic seems to break apart.

Looking in the direction of of the Shadow's Nest, I stared in disbelief as the Tower of Demise stood there, just as before.

_Tartarus!? That can only mean one thing... Shadows._

Defenceless, I decided to find some kind of weapon that I could use, just in case I was ambushed. The 'TV World' resembled Iwatodai, with almost everything being a perfect replica of the city. Although, one thing was noticeably absent; the coffins. The area was almost bare, not a soul in sight; living or dead. As I walked past the innumerous building, on the ground lay a bus stop sign had toppled over. _It's better than nothing... _I picked it up and swung it, trying to get used to my makeshift weapon.

"Damn, this thing's heavy! It's been such a long time since I held a weapon. But either way, without my Persona, I'm screwed, aren't I?"

I sat down on a nearby bench, being sure not accidentally hit anything with my 'weapon'.

_Okay, calm down. You can get through this. You can't be the only one that was trapped, right? There has to be someone else here... I just need to find them. And... there has to be more than one way to summon a Persona. The Investigation Team managed to do so without Evokers. So, I think I should be able to do so too. I mean, it should be harder to summon facets of your psyche in the real world as compared to the world in the human heart. So, first, I should-_

"Minato-san!" yelled a voice from down the street.

I turned to face the source and was met with the sight of the blonde-haired android; my girlfriend, Aigis.

"Aigis!" I yelled back in confirmation and waved my arm.

"Minato-san, thank goodness that you're here!" said Aigis, relieved of whatever worry she had as she approached me.

"Aigis, do you have any idea what happened?" I asked.

"I am not sure, but I detected an irregularity at around midnight and the entrance to the TV World appeared on the TV screen in my room. Metis was sucked in first and I had no choice but to go in as the energy was getting stronger," replied Aigis.

"The same thing happened to me and Minako," I said.

"Well, in that case, shouldn't we try to find the others?" suggested Aigis.

"Yeah, we should."

We walked side by side towards the Dorm, hoping that someone else had the same idea.

"Umm... Minato-san, can I ask you a question?" asked Aigis.

I hesitated slightly before nodding my head to let her continue. _This can't be good..._

"Minato-san, do you still remember what I said to you on that day...?"

"Hmm? What day?"

"You know... the day before you... died..." The last word was barely a whisper.

Looking at her in the eye, I replied, "You told me that you would always protect me-"

"I'm sorry!" Tears were flowing from her cheeks. "I couldn't keep my promise! Every day I felt guilty knowing that I lied to you, Minato-san! I couldn't protect you! I was the last one to see you... yet, my last words to you could never be fulfilled..."

My heart ached as I watched Aigis break down in front of me. She looked as though she was going to collapse. Pulling her into a tight embrace, I whispered into her ears; the headphone assembly on her head, "Aigis, listen to me. You didn't fail. You protected me throughout the entire time I was alive. Without you, I wouldn't even live long enough to prevent The Fall. You were always smiling right next to me. You were always right by my side. Always there to support me, to help me, to protect me. If you ask me, you did more than I could ever repay."

She looked at me with those beautiful azure eyes and held onto me tightly, not wanting to let go. "Minato-san, you helped me too... Without you, I would never have awakened to my emotions. Without you, I would be a machine, incapable of self-thought. You taught me how to be human, even if I was created to be a weapon, and you told me that no matter what, I was irreplaceable. You brought meaning to my life... no, you gave me life. You gave me a reason to live. A reason to... love..." said Aigis, her cheeks a bright shade of red.

"Aigis..."

"Minato-san..."

"Excuse me if I'm interrupting something, but, don't you think that there's a better time for this?"

The both of us instantly separated ourselves and took a defensive stance. I could feel warmth creeping up my cheeks as Aigis and I stood back to back, ready to face anything.

"Hahaha! Are the both of you _that _love sick? You have to get all emotional whenever you see each other, don't you!?" mocked a voice.

We looked around, but saw nothing. Aigis' sensors didn't pick anything up either.

"Lemme tell you something; right here, right now!"

We started to panic.

"The both of you should learn to keep your lovey-dovey crap to yourselves!"

A figure emerged from the shadows. The figure was feminine, with auburn hair, tied in a ponytail with hair clips that showed the number 22 in Roman numerals. She wore a red scarf, a light orange sweater with a matching red plaid skirt, black leggings, and red boots. Her mp3 player hung from her neck and so did her red clip-on headphones.

_Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse..._

* * *

**And now…**

**Preview of the Next Chapter:**

"_It can't be..."_

"_There's only one person who fits that description though..."_

"_Why are things so messed up!"_

"_Anyway, the next chapters will be gruesome and will make you question the true meaning of friendship."_

"_Well, 'till next time!"_

"_Goodbye!"_

* * *

**Reviews:**

blablabla6h: Well, I know that Aigis and Labrys are close but... honestly, I'm not exactly sure why I chose Aigis and Metis to be together. Well, I guess it's because of that little scene where Metis explains her nature as a Shadow... (It was never really mentioned in 'The Answer'); other than that... I guess I should have thought harder about the room assignments. Thanks for reviewing!

* * *

Author's Note: I'm very sorry for updating late. My life has been on edge recently and I barely have enough time to sleep, let alone type this chapter. From here on, the storyline will diverge from the original story. So, this will be the last time I address people who have read 'Persona: The Final Battle' separately from the other readers. Please review!


	8. New Friends, New Beginnings

Co-Author's Note: Hihi guys! Yuzu here and I'm here to stay! I won't be this fanfic to Kazu-kun alone, even if I have to type it in the middle of nowhere and my Wi-Fi connection utterly sucks. Kazu-kun already mentioned that things aren't going too smoothly on this end, and it's true. But, let's think positive! By the way, the story from this point onwards will be darker and will be far more heart-shattering then the last one; similar to Persona 2 (My favourite Persona game). And special thanks to _LMFAO314_ for suggesting that all the battle scenes are included this time around. And here's the next chapter!

* * *

Chapter 7

New Friends, New Beginnings

* * *

**Afternoon?**

**TV World?**

_**General POV**_

"The plan has entered it's first phase," said the mother of the night.

"Well done. I think that this will go rather smoothly... If neither the Malevolent Entity, _him_ nor Philemon interferes...," the white-haired male replied.

"I assume that you will be contacting the Chosen Ones soon?"

"Yes. I will personally tell them the rules of this world. Some of them will break; it's unavoidable... but the one who survives...,"

"Shall be the one to end it all..."

* * *

**TV World**

_**Yosuke POV**_

_Dammit... what the hell... just happened... I remember... the TV..._

I almost flung myself forward as I shot up from the floor. _Not exactly my best entrance..._ _And my back hurts too... _I grimaced as the pain started to sink in. _Nothing gets worse than this I guess..._

_I fell into the TV with Ted as soon as the ripples started to appear. The both of us had no time to grab onto anything before we were already head to toe in the screen._ _I just hope that Yu's okay... _

Opening my eyes and looking around, my jaw almost dropped at what I saw... _coffins... coffins... and more coffins..._ I was surrounded by them.

"This can't be happening!" I yelled, turning around, frantically trying to find some form of escape. It seemed as though I was trapped in an endless spiral of coffins; and there was not a single gap between any of them. They cast shadows on the ground and the eerie moonlight only served to make them seem as though they were intimidating me. I was trapped and I only had barely any space to move around in.

The silence was making my head spin. The shadows were dancing on the ground. My mind was going insane.

The next moment, I felt something cold at the back of my head. It was small and circular and felt like a... _oh crap, don't tell me..._

"Don't turn around," said a feminine voice from behind me, "Or you die."

At that time, I had no idea what took over me. It felt as though my bones were made of steel. I couldn't move. And only the sound of my own breathing reminded me that I was still alive.

"Yosuke Hanamura, am I right? Good thing I found you, or you'd probably be dead already," continued the voice.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Don't worry, I'm not a threat. I'm here to save you and your friends from the masterminds of this scheme," she replied.

_Well, Miss I'm-here-to-save-you-and-your-friends, I don't feel any safer!_

"Why should I believe you?" I questioned.

"Because I'll help you get out of here. Now," was all she said before I felt an excruciating pain throughout my body. My vision started to darken and my hearing started to dull. My limbs became numb. And the last thing I heard was... a gunshot.

* * *

[And so, time passed...]

* * *

**Roof of Iwatodai Dorm**

_**Yosuke POV**_

_Am I dead? What the hell just happened? Damn, I should have summoned my Persona instead of just doing nothing!_

My vision was slowly returning and I could once again feel my arms and legs. I was on some kind of roof; and thankfully, there wasn't a coffin to be found. My body was leaning on a wall beside a door and in front of me, at the edge of the roof, was a young lady. She looked around my age and was wearing the Gekkoukan High uniform. Her waist-length hair was jet black and I noticed a silver object in her hand. It was a gun.

She turned around and saw that I had woken up, "Oh, Hanamura, you're awake."

Her eyes were a bright crimson.

Approaching me, she continued, "Sorry I had to scare you like that, but it was the only way to get you here. I'll explain the details later-"

"Who are you?" I asked as I stood up.

"Me? I'm just here to save you and your-"

"Who are you?" I repeated my question with a firm tone.

"I can't answer that right now. There are more important things at hand," she replied, slightly raising her voice.

I remained silent. This was getting nowhere.

"Now, back to what I was going to tell you," she took a deep breath before continuing, "You are in the world of the human heart, or the 'TV World' as you and your friends call it. This particular area of the TV World is controlled by a very powerful being-"

"Like Izanami?" I asked, interrupting her.

Not the least bit distracted, she answered me, "No. The one who controls this world is far more powerful than Izanami. His true identity is unknown. He is neither deity, human nor shadow. He is simply known as 'Midnight'. Appearing as a human, he has white hair and a blue eye."

"He only has one eye?"

"No, his left eye is covered by his fringe. Always covered by his fringe. Recently, he has recruited the mother of the night, Nyx to aid him."

"Nyx... wait, isn't that-"

"Yes, the 'Shadow Operatives' as you call them, faced Nyx during their journey."

"So, what you're saying is that these two 'beings' are causing this whole mess!?"

_Does that mean this Midnight guy took Labrys!?_

"Wrong once again, Hanamura. There are many, many more factors that caused you to be in this situation. You simply do not need to know more just yet."

"Now, can you answer my question, who are you?"

"I guess I can at least give you my name... They call me Hikaru Kanzato. Nice to meet you," said Kanzato, who was now smiling.

_She looks pretty cute... _

"Yosuke Hanamura. Nice to meet you. But I guess you already know me, huh?"

"Well... I only know your name and some fuzzy background details."

"So, why are you here?" I asked, trying to get as much information as I could.

"Like I said; I'm going to save you and your friends." she repeated.

"But why? What does it have to do with you?" I pressed on.

"... That is none of your concern, Hanamura..." she muttered before turning around to face some kind of tower.

The tower was huge. It seemed to rise up into the sky endlessly and it's very appearance made me shudder.

"How did you get in here?" I continued.

"You know, it's rude to ask a girl so many questions. It's no wonder you don't have a girlfriend..."

"H-How do you know that!?" I was panicking.

"Maybe 'fuzzy background details' wasn't accurate. What I meant to say was, I know every little thing about you," she replied with a devilish smile.

_She's toying with me..._

"I have to go now. You'll be safe as long as you don't move. Just stay here," was all she said before she walked slowly towards the edge of the building. _What the hell!? Don't tell me she's going to- _I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. One of her feet was already dangling in mid-air. I ran faster, but it was too late. She jumped. Looking over the edge, I didn't even see a trace of her...

* * *

**TV World**

_**Naoto POV**_

I ran. And I didn't stop. The sheer number of shadows that followed me was unimaginable. Not a second could be wasted if I wanted to make it out alive. Navigating through the streets of a 'distorted' Iwatodai, I couldn't even turn back to face my enemies in fear that I would be killed. I tried to fight them, but there were far too many and my spiritual power was drained.

I ran past streets and into alleys, past Paulownia Mall and Port Island Station. After what seemed like an eternity, I found myself running towards a huge tower that rose up into the sky.

"Izanagi!" yelled a voice not too far away from me.

_Izanagi? That has to be Senpai!_

Dashing towards Senpai's voice, I readied my gun. _If he's summoning his Persona, he must be fighting..._

_Senpai's surrounded too!_

He was trapped in a vicious circle of shadows, but he somehow managed to fend them off alongside Izanagi. But it seemed as though the shadows continued to come after him; like he was some kind of beacon to them.

Approaching the circle of shadows, I raised my gun and took aim. _I can't miss this shot! _Everything seemed to move in slow-motion as my finger was placed on the trigger; as the shadows got closer; as my targets became larger.

*Bang*

*Bang*

*Bang*

I fired three shots and ran past the black smoke. Leaping upwards and landing on my heel, I destroyed a nearby shadow before finding myself right beside Senpai.

"Naoto!? What are you doing here!?" asked Senpai, calm demeanor completely gone. There were scratches and bruises on his body and before I had the chance to reply to his question, his summoned Izanagi once more and lightning struck the shadows, paralysing them. _The battle was far from over. _

Blue mist formed around me as I gathered whatever strength I had left. A tarot card formed in front of me and I took aim.

"Yamato Sumeragi!"

My Persona emerged and I felt power surging through me. _I only have enough spiritual power for a couple more spells. I better make this count!_

"Mind Charge! Megidolaon!"

A purple sphere took shape above all the shadows, sending bursts of energy towards the monstrosities, eliminating at least half of them in a single hit.

[_Now I face out, I hold out_]

[_I reach out to the truth of my life; seeking to seize the whole moment, yeah!_]

Senpai stretched out his arm, and a flaming blue tarot card appeared in his hand. Crushing it, a pillar of raw energy rose into the sky; forming Izanagi-no-Okami.

"Myriad Truths!"

Izanagi-no-Okami thrust his blade upwards and a wave of light blinded me. Everything was enveloped by the light of truth.

…

Slowly, the light began to dissipate, not a single shadow in sight.

It was then that I realised that I was breathing heavily. I sat on the ground, trying to catch my breath. Yu-senpai did the same.

"... Senpai, couldn't you have used that move from the beginning?" I asked.

"I label that move as emergency-only. Takes up too much power," was all Senpai said before he closed his eyes and started to slow down his breathing.

_At least we're safe... Good thing I found Senpai, who knows what would've happened if I didn't? _Making sure that there were no enemies, I decided to take a short nap to recuperate.

* * *

**And Now...**

**Preview of the Next Chapter:**

"_Hikaru Kanzato..."_

"_What happens now?"_

"_I have no idea..."_

"_But there's no way that this is gonna turn out well..."_

"_Someone's gonna die sooner or later..."_

"_It's just a matter of time..."_

"_The next chapter..."_

"_Stay tuned..."_

* * *

Author's Note: The chapter's short but I hope that it's pretty decent. I would like to personally thank _blablabla6h, ReachingOutFES and LMFAO314 _for reviewing. Although, there hasn't been many reviews recently and I urge you guys to at least leave one. The story is pretty hard to come up with considering my schedule and my obsession with making sure that it sticks as close to the canon story as possible. (I know that there are OCs, but you'll see how they fit in eventually...) So please review! I don't really care if you're a guest or a member, I will look at all the suggestions and reviews that you guys send in, so please, have a heart!


	9. A Glimmer of Hope and Love?

Author's Note: Chapter 8, finally. First and foremost, I would like to thank _blablabla6h _for providing great 'Yosuke and Chie' and 'Yu and Rise' romance scenes. (It was all his ideas, we just put them into story form.) I don't wanna talk too much so, here's the next chapter!

* * *

Chapter 8

A Glimmer of Hope... and Love?

* * *

**Afternoon?**

**TV World**

_**Chie POV**_

_This is so wrong..._

My feet were aching.

_Where am I?_

My heart was thumping.

_Yukiko..._

My worries were endless.

I stopped, straining my eyes to see the path ahead of me. The moonlight was barely enough to illuminate my surroundings; causing me to trip on more than one occasion. The eerie green sky was vomit-inducing and there was a constant ringing in my head as I ran, trying to find my friends.

_Think Chie, think! Where would everyone gather?_

I was alone on the empty streets of 'Iwatodai'. A small breeze was blowing, but the air was cold. Freezing cold. It seemed as though Death was lying in wait. Waiting to feed on its prey.

_Okay, enough negative thoughts! You're just creeping yourself out!_

The only sounds I heard were my own footsteps. The roads seemed to stretch endlessly, like a maze. I tried to remember the various landmarks and signs to help me find my way.

_There's still no point unless I have __somewhere to go!__ Where is everyone!? _Luckily, I haven't seen any shadows. I'd probably be completely wiped out if I fight them alone.

My lungs were burning. I had been running for who-knows-how-long; my phone doesn't work and I doubt that any electronic device works either.

_I don't remember the TV World being so harsh. I really hope that I find someone soon! Wait a minute... isn't that... Yosuke!?_

His headphones were firmly placed on his head as he stepped out from one of the buildings. Looking up at a humongous tower not too far away, he seemed to be prepared for battle.

"Yosuke!" I yelled as hard as I could and sprinted towards him.

_I was hoping to find someone like Yukiko, but I guess Yosuke's better than being alone._

He turned towards me and removed his headphones before saying, "Chie? What are you doing here!?"

My breathing was hard after all that running and my lungs hurt. Yosuke must've noticed since he asked me to go into the place he came out of. It was then that I realised that it was the dorm.

* * *

**Iwatodai Dorm?**

_**Chie POV**_

Instantly hopping onto the sofa as soon as I stepped in, I took of my shoes and soothed my aching feet; which earned a sigh from Yosuke.

"So, Chie, now that you're all comfortable, mind telling me why you're here?" asked Yosuke, who was sitting next to me.

"Yukiko and I fell through the TV back in the dorm. We were sucked in by some sort of force!" I replied.

"Just as I thought. We couldn't have been the only ones..."

"We?"

"Yu, Ted and I. I fell into the TV with Ted and I think Yu fell in afterwards."

"Seriously!? Teddie and Yu-kun are here too!?"

"Yeah, but I haven't seen them since I woke up..."

"That's a bummer..."

"What's important is that we find the others as soon as possible. My phone doesn't work and my headphones don't either. It's pretty obvious that electronic devices don't work in here."

"I tried that too. But you know, this place kinda seems familiar..."

"Seriously, Chie? I've never seen this before in my life..."

"But wait... I just realised that the inside of the dorm doesn't look all greenish like the outside..."

"You have a point there..."

After some time, I started to hear the soft sound of raindrops coming from outside.

"Hey, is it raining?" I asked.

"Yeah, I guess so... Kinda weird though... I didn't see a single cloud outside..." replied Yosuke.

"Yosuke, are you alright? It's been bugging me for a while but you look kinda uncomfortable, like you saw a ghost or something."

"It's a long story..."

"We have time to kill, don't we?"

"Well, for someone who looked worried, you're sure pretty calm-"

"Shut it, Yosuke. Or do you want me to kick your-"

"I get the point..."

_Yosuke's such a jerk. I can't believe that I'm trapped with him!_

…

*Thunderclap*

The sound of thunder reverberated throughout the dorm and my mind went completely blank. I screamed at the top of my lungs and instinctively grabbed the closest thing to me. Unfortunately, that closest thing was... Yosuke.

We were on the ground, me lying on top of him. Our bodies were pressed against each other and our faces were less than an inch apart. My hair brushed against his face and I felt the heat from his face and I could bet that he felt the same from mine. Our lips touched and gravity pulled us closer. Neither of us objected, nor did we move a muscle. It just felt so unreal. The sound of the raindrops were the only thing that reminded us that time was still moving. We couldn't utter a word.

_Umm... what just happened...? Yosuke... I just hope that no one happens to find us and-_

"C-Chie-san!? Y-Yosuke-kun!?"

_Oh, we are in deep trouble..._

**TV World**

_**Yu POV**_

_Yosuke. Rise. Everyone. I hope you're safe..._

Looking up into the ominous green sky, I cursed at my inability to foresee the situation. Naoto was lying not too far away from me, although it seems that she's asleep.

_She must be tired. If only someone else..._

"Senpai!? Naoto-kun!?"

"Sensei!? Nao-chan!?"

I fought back the fatigue and sat up, looking for my friends. Two figures appeared and I recognised them immediately.

_Who wouldn't recognise an idol and a bear suit?_

As they approached us, our battered conditions were more than obvious. My blazer was torn and my entire body was scratched. Three large gashes were present on my chest and the ringing in my ears was definitely not helping.

Luckily, Naoto didn't get injured too badly. Just a couple of bruises and a cut.

"What happened to you guys!?" yelled Rise.

"We were ambushed by Shadows and had no choice but to fight," I said.

"Sensei, just hang in there! Bear-sona, Mediarahan!" cried Teddie and Kamui-Moshiri appeared behind him, healing me as well as Naoto.

"All better!" said Teddie as he puffed out his chest in pride.

"Thanks Teddie," I said while petting the bear on the head.

"So, Senpai, I heard that you, Yosuke-senpai and Teddie were sucked into the TV too, huh?" said Rise.

"Yeah, I went in last. After that, I woke up here and was ambushed. Naoto came a while later and we ended the fight. Great timing, too. I was running out of spiritual power," I explained.

"Hey, Senpai, since we have four people now, why don't we split up? We'll be able to cover more ground," suggested Rise.

"What if we get lost!?" said Teddie.

_Hmm, if we split up then we should be able to find our friends faster, but at the cost of only having two fighters if the shadows attack. Plus, Naoto and I are worn out and Rise can't fight..._

"Senpai, I can use Kouzeon to track our positions. I can't detect anyone else other than the people I've met for some reason. There's some kind of interference if I try to communicate to others," said Rise.

"It would be good to split up but it's risky too. I think we should wait until Naoto wakes up before we decide anything," I said.

"Good idea, Senpai."

"Good idea, Sensei."

The three of us sat down and Rise gave me some items to help me restore my spiritual power.

_Better be safe than sorry. Never know when we'll get into a fight._

"So, Senpai, Teddie, where are we?" asked Rise.

"Well, my nose tells me that we're in the TV World; but in a different place than the one we're used too..." replied Teddie.

"Different? What do you mean Teddie?" I asked, curious to see if what Teddie 'nose' could give us a hint.

_I think I'm listening to his puns too much..._

"Well, Sensei, the TV World is pretty big. We used to enter through Inaba, which only showed the hearts of people there. Now, since we're somewhere else, I have completely no idea whose mind this is. Although, Teddie thinks that this world wasn't created by emotions alone, but rather, something very powerful forged this world from human emotions," explained Teddie.

"Wow, that's a lot of info, Teddie," said a surprised Rise.

"Let me get this straight; we are in another area of the TV World that was supposedly not created by emotions alone, but rather, some powerful being used those emotions to create this place?" I said.

"Yep, that's it, Sensei!" exclaimed Teddie.

_If what Teddie said was right..., then we should be careful. We barely beat Izanami and we had the whole team. If this 'powerful being' is stronger than Izanami, we won't win. We need to escape._

"S... Senpai? Rise? Teddie?" questioned a sleepy voice.

"Nao-chan, you're finally awake!" cried Teddie while helping Naoto to come back to her senses.

"Naoto-kun, thank goodness!"

"Nice to have you back Naoto."

"Umm, could someone please tell me what's going on?" asked Naoto.

"Let the brave and bold knight, Teddie, answer all your questions. I assure you that I'll be bear-y detailed..."

* * *

[And so, time passed...]

* * *

"... and then, you woke up!" finished Teddie.

"I see. So you were planning on splitting up?" confirmed Naoto.

"That's the plan, but we wanted to wait for your opinion first," said Rise.

"So, what do you think?" I asked.

"Hmm, we need to find a way to escape soon. It's not a good idea to split up, but we seem to have no choice-"

"I'm going with Senpai!" yelled Rise, cutting of Naoto.

"... Maybe you should ask Senpai for his opinion," suggested Naoto.

"I'm fine with it," I replied.

"Okay, it's settled then! Senpai and I will be heading in that direction while you and Teddie will go that way," said Rise, pointing out in two opposing directions.

"Rise-chan, be sure to contact us if you found anything," said Naoto as she walked with Teddie, who was rather happy to be partnered with 'Nao-chan', towards Iwatodai Station.

…

Rise and I walked in the general direction that was pointed out by former, trying to find our way with minimal light and eerie surroundings.

_It's so hard to see... Is it just me... or is it getting foggier?_

"S-Senpai... umm... you do know your way around Iwatodai... right...?" asked Rise, glancing around in fear.

"Yeah, I do. But the fog's making it hard to see..."

"I know... and the Teddie-glasses don't work either..."

_We're lost..._

"We're lost!" cried Rise in complete and utter frustration.

"Calm down, Rise," I said, holding the crying girl's shoulders.

"Senpai..."

"C'mon, we're bound to find someone eventually."

"Your right..."

With each step, the tension in the air only increased.

_Shadows could attack us at any time, and I'm still not fully recovered... Rise can't use her Persona to fight... and honestly, she's getting more fidgety by the second..._

"So, Rise, I guess you fell into the TV with Naoto, right?"

"Yep, I fell in first though."

"Did you find Teddie when you woke up or-"

"No, after wondering around this place for hours, I met this weird girl with black hair. She called herself Hikaru Kanzato and she told me where I could find Teddie. Before I could ask any more questions, she disappeared..."

"Is that so-"

I heard the sound of thunder in the distance and Rise clung onto me, letting out a scream.

_She probably isn't used to being alone for so long. She's usually accompanied by whoever isn't in the dungeon whenever we go into the TV World._

_But... this Hikaru Kanzato, could she be that powerful being that Teddie mentioned?_

"Hey, Senpai, it's starting to rain. Let's get some shelter; there's a building over there..."

* * *

**?**

_**General POV**_

"Nyx..."

"Yes...?"

"Do you detect that presence...?"

"Kanzato..."

"She has entered this world and is informing the chosen ones of our presence."

"Midnight..."

"Do not address me directly. You never know who's watching..."

"I apologise."

"Just ensure that she is eliminated."

"Understood."

* * *

**Preview of the next Chapter:**

"_Two foolish souls wondering into the dark."_

"_Two lovers facing a friend."_

"_Two friends finding their way."_

"_And two beings ruling them all."_

"_Next chapter: Confusion and Loss."_

"_Please tune in."_

"_Goodbye... for now..."_

* * *

Author's Note: I would like to thank _blablabla6h _again. And yes, 'I' will again be the sole writer of this story. I realise that Yuzu couldn't keep her promise of continuing and I broke my promise of a weekly update and we're truly sorry. And for those readers who don't review, please try to leave one! I'm kinda losing my motivation now that I'm alone again, so please! If you want this story to continue, leave a review. I won't force anyone, but does it take that long to write a single line?

* * *

Last Co-Author's Note: So long guys. Just want to let you guys know that I appreciate the reviews and ideas. So, that's it. You won't see much of a big difference since I mostly sort out the plot and don't do any actual writing; but please leave a review.


	10. Confusion and Loss (I)

Author's Note: Chapter 9. It's finally here I guess. Never thought that I'd even continue writing. I've been writing crap these past few weeks. Just some random ideas that don't make sense. But that's all over now and here's the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Persona Series, Atlus does. I only own my OCs.

* * *

Chapter 9

Confusion and Loss

* * *

**TV World**

_**Minato POV**_

A figure emerged from the shadows. The figure was feminine, with auburn hair, tied in a ponytail with hair clips that showed the number 22 in Roman numerals. She wore a red scarf, a light orange sweater with a matching red plaid skirt, black leggings, and red boots. Her mp3 player hung from her neck and so did her red clip-on headphones.

_Just when I thought that things couldn't get any worse..._

"Minako-san? Is that you?" asked my blonde-haired companion.

The figure remained silent. Her earlier outburst had left us speechless. Did she really feel isolated? Was she really alone?

Taking a step forward, her features became clearer. There was no mistaking it. My twin. My other half. She was right here in front of me. Telling me how she truly felt.

"Minato, I missed you so much. I spent every second of my lonely life thinking of you. My heart ached to be separated from my dearest brother and I will do anything to have you, even if it means... doing things that you won't be proud of..."

"Minako... I'm sorry," I muttered, hanging my head guiltily, "I didn't think that your feelings were this strong... I thought that you were just being your usual, cheery self..."

...

"You know what Minato, save your pity. I don't want it anymore."

There was a sudden wave of energy and tension in the air.

"Minato-san, look out!"

My body was flung aside and landed on the rough pathway, creating scratches and bruises whenever the two came into contact.

_I deserve this..._

_It can't compare to what she must have felt..._

Through my half-closed eyes and wavering consciousness, the two most important people in my life were facing each other. One had an Evoker to the head, while the other was aiming her gun at the former. Only one word came to mind... Death.

"Stop! Just stop!" I yelled.

_This is stupid._

_But I can't let them die!_

They both turned to face me. Their eyes fixated on me. One full of disgust while the other full of sorrow. Red and Blue. Fire and Ice. A burning passion and a cool touch. But the red flickered. It flickered and it died. In it's place, left a deathly gold. It looked like Nyx when I faced it in the moon. The mother of all shadows; all in the place of her eyes.

"You're... not... Minako..." I uttered.

"Don't tell me you don't recognise me, _brother dear..._" the imposter said in a mocking tone.

"Minato-san, do not be persuaded by her! These readings... are that of a shadow!"

"Aigis!"

A second too late. The imposter had already attacked her and she flew back, right into a nearby building. The sheer strength of the impact nearly demolished it.

_It all happened so fast._

_As fast and as deadly as a gunshot._

"Did you really think you stood a chance!?" The imposter laughed maniacally, "I won't lose to the likes of you. You're nothing but a fake. You're not even alive. How am I supposed to leave my _dear brother_ in your care!?"

A million needles poked my heart.

_This is just too cruel._

_I'm the fool._

_I'm the betrayer._

_I'm the one who didn't understand her._

_So why does Aigis pay the price?_

_No more._

_No more._

_I won't let anyone die because of me._

_**I am thou.**_

_No one will die._

_**Thou art I.**_

_No one will suffer._

_**From the sea of thy soul I cometh.**_

_I will save them._

_**Call forth the power of judgement.**_

_For I am the Messiah._

"PERSONA!" Floating mid-air, the facet of my psyche surrounding my entire body like a plate of armour, "Messiah, Megidolaon!"

_The sheer power._

_The raw energy._

"Foolish attempt," She raised her hands into the green sky, "Armageddon!"

My attack was pointless. The Armageddon feasted on my energy, which simply fuelled its existence as it continued its destructive path towards its target;

Me.

My skin felt as though it was burned by fire. My eyes were blinded by myriad colours. My ears were bleeding. My senses were completely overwhelmed.

_This is what an Armageddon feels like, huh?_

_Serves me right._

_I left my twin alone when she tried to call out to me._

_No, I answered her, but I never truly meant it._

_I never spoke from my heart._

_Just lies from my mouth._

_Comforting lies._

_Hurtful lies._

_As long as I could hide myself._

_As long as I didn't need to open to anyone._

_As long as others couldn't look into me._

_I felt safe._

_Safe in my own little world._

_Refusing to expand it._

_Refusing to let others enter._

_Refusing to let myself break free._

_I tried to ran away._

_But my own fear chained me to the floor._

_But I won't stop until I see the sunlight again!_

_**Thy hast accepted thy true self.**_

_**Thy hast realised thy potential.**_

_**Thy hast awakened to a new power.**_

_**Thy true power.**_

_**The unlimited power of the [Universe].**_

…

My eyes opened.

They opened to the sight of that imposter.

We were both suspended in the air, held only by our energy.

Yet, I felt nothing.

I wasn't in control of my body.

But she wasn't either.

We stared into each other's eyes.

We didn't even blink.

_Who are you?_

_**Don't you recognise me?**_

_No, I don't._

_**But, why?**_

_Because you're not my sister. Give her back._

_**I am her, and she is me.**_

_No, you are not one and the same. You are simply one small piece of her._

_**W-What do you mean!?**_

_You are nothing but a-_

_**Shut up!**_

_-Shadow._

…

_It all flashed before me eyes. Memories... of us._

_Times when we were younger, we played 'till the sun set._

_We even slept together, the warmth was comforting._

_We were always together, never apart._

_Ever since we were born._

_No one else mattered._

_Our days were never lonely, whether we were at the playground, when we celebrated our birthday, out with our parents or at home._

_Because she was always by my side._

_Always smiling right next to me._

_These... are Minako's memories._

_But all of them... are about me._

...

_Am I alive?_

_What happened?_

_Where am I?_

Rubbing my eyes, I found myself lying helplessly on the ground.

_Heh, I must look pathetic right now..._

"M-Minato..? Are you awake?"

"Minato-san? Are you awake?"

Gentle hands helped me sit up and I was glad to see the both of them.

*Slap*

"Ow! Minako, what was that for!?"

"You deserved that," said my pouting sister, "Y-You saw every last of my feelings for you! Baka!"

An exasperated sigh was the only thing that came from my mouth.

"What... did I do exactly?" I questioned.

"To put it simply..." began Aigis, "I sensed a mental link between you and Minako-san. I believe that somehow, you managed to reach into the deepest part of her psyche and drove that shadow out."

Minako slumped to the ground and hung her head, "To be taken over by my own Shadow... That's so lame..."

I placed my hand on her shoulder and so did Aigis.

"We all have times when we're not proud of what we've done," I said, sitting down beside her.

"But the most important thing is that we realise this and stand back up," continued Aigis.

*Sniffle*

"Minako-san... are you crying...?"

_Biggest understatement ever._

Tears were practically flowing from her eyes like a never-ending river.

Her wails were almost deafening.

And her cheeks were flushed as she clung on to the both of us.

...

_Minako..._

_Minato?_

_I just wanted to tell you something..._

_Yeah?_

_Well, I just wanted to say... I love you._

_That is so cliché... but I'll take it._

**TV World**

_**General POV**_

"Minato Arisato. Minako Arisato. Aigis. They're the perfect ones to carry out my plans," he said.

"The twins may not have noticed, but they are far more powerful than they once were," she added.

"But never did I expect that Arisato would be able to control the power of the universe," he continued, admiring the success of the elder twin, "The power of the universe; the ability to link human hearts."

"It is truly amazing," she agreed, "At one time, he was only capable of using such power to link our minds and create a seal-"

The wall beside them completely disintegrated into nothingness. A young lady with raven black hair in a Gekkoukan uniform entered, Evoker in hand. She took long strides and held her head up high.

"Long time no see, Kanzato," he said.

"This has gone too far. I don't care about your 'hunt' for the 'Chosen Ones'! It's just plain wrong to kidnap people and force 'em to fight!" shouted Hikaru, "Mark my words. If you ever do anything to harm any of them further, I will personally _kill_ both of you."

The two beings were silent.

"Gone all quiet now, huh? Don't forget, I'm always watching, Midnight and Nyx..."

"No, I'll call you by your real names, Makoto and Hamuko Yuki."

And Hikaru vanished without a trace.

* * *

Author's Note: No, you didn't read that wrong. You can read that second-last line a million times but it won't change. Yeah, it's getting complicated but everything will make sense as time moves on. I would like to thank Miku Fan for reviewing (and of course, the usual reviewers who I am _very _thankful for). But, if you really want this story to continue, please review!


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